PBA: Tim Cone not worried about Justin Brownlee’s struggles in Game 2 loss

Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone. PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Justin Brownlee’s subpar outing in Game 2 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals is nothing to worry about as far as Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone is concerned.

Brownlee, who is averaging 27.5 points prior to Wednesday night’s game, was limited to a conference-low 12 points in the Gin Kings’ 95-82 loss to the TNT Tropang Giga at Araneta Coliseum.

“We’ll look at the videos, try and figure out things we can do for him to get open and we’ll go from there. We’re not worried about Justin, he’s the last of our worries,” Cone said.

“He had a tough night tonight. He’s had tough nights in the past. I don’t worry about him having a tough night, because he always responds pretty well.”

Barangay Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee. PBA IMAGES

A big part of Brownlee’s offensive struggles was the defense of TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

Hollis-Jefferson, who finished with 23 points, 19 rebounds and nine assists, forced Brownlee to miss 13 of his 16 tries from the field, including all of his five attempts from long range.

“Hollis-Jefferson did a great job defending him tonight. He surprised us with his defense,” Cone said.

Aside from Hollis-Jefferson, Calvin Oftana also came up big for the Tropang Giga.

Oftana stepped up in the absence of big men Justin Chua and Kelly Williams and finished with 14 points and 13 boards. 

“They’ve given problems all conference long with Calvin playing the four position so it’s just a test for us to see if we can overcome [it]. Like I said, it’s a series,” Cone.

Brownlee and the Gin Kings look to bounce back in Game 3 on Friday.

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