The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel failed to capture the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs, but they will still enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals against the dangerous NLEX Road Warriors. Will Ginebra get the job done on Sunday? Or, will NLEX force another game by shocking the Barangay on a Sunday?
Catch this game live on Sunday, March 19 at 6:45 pm, Manila time.
NLEX Road Warriors (7-4)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG:Kris Rosales
- SG: Don Trollano
- SF: Wayne Selden Jr.
- PF: Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser
- C: Michael Miranda
The Road Warriors finished the elimination phase of the conference in a loss, as they suffered a 120-106 defeat at the hands of the San Miguel Beermen last Wednesday. They were on the rise prior to that loss, having won consecutive games over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Terrafirma Dyip. Nevertheless, NLEX’s chances of upending the Barangay this weekend can’t just be ignored. The Road Warriors was a handful for Ginebra the last time these teams met, with the Barangay winning by a slim margin, 114-111, back in February.
Wayne Selden exploded for 43 points in that game, while Kevin Alas led the NLEX locals with 22. Selden is a constant threat. He can deliver the buckets from anywhere on the floor and he’s always going to have the green light. The high-scoring NLEX offense isn’t all about Selden, though, with Alas, Brandon Rosser, and Don Trollano all a threat to explode.NLEX also still has Kris Rosales, who is also another dependable scorer for NLEX, which is third this conference with 112.6 PPG and second in both effective field goal percentage (.567) and true shooting percentage (.567).
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (8-3)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Scottie Thompson
- SG: Stanley Pringle
- SF: Jamie Malonzo
- PF: Justin Brownlee
- C: Christian Standhardinger
Ginebra can’t wait to get back to work after squandering a second-half lead in last Friday’s 114-105 loss to the TNT Tropang Giga. That defeat snapped the Barangay’s five-game win streak, so there’s really not much to be alarmed by for Ginebra. Justin Brownlee paced the Barangay in the TNT game with 27 points on 11/27 shooting with 10 rebounds and four assists, while Scottie Thompson and Christian Standhardinger each had 19 points.
Brownlee one-upped Selden in the first meeting with NLEX this conference, as the naturalized Filipino went off for 44 points, while also coming up with 16 points and six assists. He’s just an import that often does more beyond just scoring than other imports, not to mention his undeniable advantage in familiarity with his teammates. The absence of Japeth Aguilar has lowered the ceiling of Ginebra’s defense but it’s still fourth in the league entering the TNT game in both points allowed per game (103.3) and opponents’ field goal percentage (44.4%).
PREDICTION:
Spread: NLEX (+7) covers the spread.
Over/Under: The total (219.5) hits the Over.
