Adrian Nocum picked the perfect time for a career night.

The gutsy guard took matters into his own hands with the go-ahead basket in the last 5.6 seconds before Rain or Shine’s defense took care of the rest in a thrilling 98-97 escape over Magnolia for a third straight win in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Nocum finished with a career-best 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Elasto Painters.

His biggest and most important play gave Rain or Shine a 3-2 win-loss record and momentum heading into the second round of the double-round robin group stage.

“I’m thankful to the Lord for this win and to my teammates who refused to give up. We just stuck with our system and that’s the reason why we got the win,” Nocum said.

“Our goal is to get into the finals. We want to break through the semifinals. Credit to my teammates for everything that I’ve been achieving so far.”

Nocum’s putback followed by a split by Jhonard Clarito from the foul line gave the Elasto Painters a 96-94 advantage with 44.9 seconds left.

Ian Sangalang answered with a completed three-point play to put the Hotshots back in front, 97-96, with 24.5 seconds remaining.

Nocum milked the clock before driving hard to elude his primary defender, Raffy Verano, and shooting over the help defense of Mark Barroca and Zav Lucero for the lead.

Magnolia called time for one final play for import KJ Buffen, who was held scoreless in the fourth period. He attacked the basket but was met by the suffocating defense of Aaron Fuller and Jhonard Clarito mid-air as time expired.

“This game was decided by one play. One possession, that one possession. Credit also to Magnolia for giving a good fight. It just happened that we got very lucky in the last play,” Elasto Painters head coach Yeng Guiao said.

The game saw eight deadlocks and nine lead changes with both teams holding and wasting double-digit gaps.

“It was a great game and a good experience also for our young players. This kind of game teaches them how to win in close games. For us, that’s a very important experience to learn from,” Guiao added.

Deo Cuajao scored 15 points, Fuller had 14 points and 12 boards while Luis Villegas added 12 points for the Elasto Painters, who trailed by 12 in the first quarter.

Rain or Shine erected a 71-60 advantage in the third quarter but the Hotshots erased it to enter the fourth canto tied at 81.