San Miguel def Rain or Shine, 104-100 [2021 Governors’ Cup | March 3, 2022]

Bouncing back versus staying alive.

Those are the targets as San Miguel Beer and Rain or Shine face off Thursday in a vital tiff in the PBA Governors’ Cup elimination round that has entered the crucial stage.

Disappointed in their first outing with highly touted new import Shabazz Muhammad, the Beermen eye a quick turnaround in their 6 p.m. tussle with the Elasto Painters, who for their part, try to check a three-game slide.

A win in the key match at the Smart Araneta Coliseum will allow the Beermen to stay in the fight for a Top Four finish and a twice-to-beat bonus in the quarterfinals.

With their crushing 104-87 loss to the Magnolia Hotshots to mark Muhammad’s PBA debut Sunday, the Beermen dropped to joint fifth with the Barangay Ginebra Kings at 5-4.

At 3-6, the Elasto Painters must sweep their two remaining games for a shot at a quarters entry.

Coach Chris Gavina and his ROS crew slid down to 10th after three successive losses to Alaska Mlk (80-74), Meralco (93-88) and NLEX (109-100).

The E-Painters are 1-3 in the tournament resumption from the stoppage forced by the COVID-19 surge after the Christmas holidays.