Can Justin Brownlee and the Barangay Ginebra make it to the top of the playoff seedings?
PBA Friday Games (November 18, 2022)
Venue: Smart Araneta Coliseum
First Game: NLEX Road Warriors versus Terrafirma Dyip (3:00 PM)
Second Game: Barangay Ginebra versus Blackwater Bossing (5:45 PM)
How can NLEX Improve their defense?
| NLEX Road Warriors | Terrafirma Dyip | |
| Offensive Rating | 102.4 (8th) | 95.6 (13th) |
| Defensive Rating | 110.9 (12th) | 115.0 (13th) |
| Pace | 81.1 (2nd) | 79.0 (7th) |
| Standing | 3-6 (11th) | 0-9 (13th) |
Previous Games: NLEX lost to Bay Area Dragons, 118-98; Terrafirma lost to NorthPort Batang Pier, 91-85
After a rousing win over sister team TNT Tropang Giga to improve their record to 3-2, NLEX lost their next four games and are now on the brink of not making the playoffs. Their defense has suffered during that four-game skid, giving up an average of 114.3 points to their opponents. They might do better tomorrow against a listless Terrafirma squad, but tough assignments against Ginebra and Meralco await afterward.
With three more games left in their schedule, there might not be enough time to figure out their defensive schemes, especially if they don’t have the personnel to do it. They can build around Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, who still has a lot to learn but can be a defensive anchor given his natural rim-protection ability. The more pressing issue though is that the Road Warriors lack perimeter defense, so that’s something they should take a hard look at in the offseason.
Ginebra rides momentum heading into five-game stretch
| Barangay Ginebra | Blackwater Bossing | |
| Offensive Rating | 107.5 (4th) | 96.9 (12th) |
| Defensive Rating | 103.7 (6th) | 104.7 (8th) |
| Pace | 75.9 (12th) | 77.2 (9th) |
| Standing | 5-2 (4th) | 3-7 (12th) |
Previous Games: Ginebra won against San Miguel Beermen, 97-96; Blackwater lost to Meralco, 102-98
Ginebra has the most hectic schedule from this point forward, as they will play a total of five games in the next couple of weeks. It’s a good thing that they have been playing great basketball as of late, riding a three-game winning streak prior to Friday’s match against Blackwater. Christian Standhardinger, who missed the team’s win against San Miguel due to knee issues, will also make his return. Things are recently going Ginebra’s way — health-wise and performance-wise — so we’ll see how strong they’ll finish the eliminations, particularly with upcoming games against TNT and Converge.
