Rain or Shine guard Andrei Caracut tries to hold back TNT forward Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser late in Game 6 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Rain or Shine guard Andrei Caracut downplayed the altercation late in Game 6 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals on Sunday.
In the dwindling seconds of a game that had already been decided, TNT guard Jordan Heading got tangled with Rain or Shine’s Jhonard Clarito in a jumpball situation that led to the endgame commotion involving several players.
READ: PBA: TNT ousts Rain or Shine, returns to finals with Grand Slam hopes
Andrei Caracut clears the air on the verbal altercation earlier in the final minute of Game 6 between TNT and Rain or Shine’s. @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/snXVF753sW
— Rommel Fuertes Jr. (@MeloFuertesINQ) July 6, 2025
Caracut, though, shrugged it off and said it was just a byproduct of both squads’ competitiveness.
“I saw Jhonard accidentally sit on Jordan and suddenly it got chaotic. I saw Jhonard get pushed and of course, I need to protect my teammate,” recalled Caracut after the Elasto Painters were eliminated following a 97-89 loss to the Tropang 5G at Araneta Coliseum.
“In the end, though, you all saw that emotions just ran high and no team just wanted to lose. We all exchanged high-fives. After the game, it was all done,” he added after scoring 15 points in Rain or Shine’s final game of the season.
When Clarito got up from the jumpball frenzy, he was pushed by TNT’s Glenn Khobuntin. Khobuntin and teammate Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser were then held back by Caracut to avoid any more altercations.
But the ruckus didn’t entirely end there.
READ: PBA: Rain or Shine crushes TNT to stay slive in semifinals
Clarito was pleading his case to the referees when Ganuelas-Rosser went to Khobuntin, preventing him from getting into any more altercations with the Elasto Painters.
Khobuntin, though, confronted Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao, who wasn’t pleased with his former player’s actions.
Just before the buzzer sounded, Khobuntin, Caracut and Ganuelas-Rosser were called for technical fouls due to verbal altercations.
All’s well that ends well, though, as everyone made amends as the final buzzer sounded that saw the Tropang 5G march to their third straight PBA Finals.
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“At the heart of it, we all know these guys are just trying to win a ballgame like we are. Things get chippy ‘cause guys get competitive and that’s just the way it is,” said Heading regarding the matter.
“Credits to those guys, they played a great series and it’s just impressive how aggressive and hard they come out each and every night,” he added.