‘I let my team down,’ Brownlee says after worst shooting game for Ginebra

MANILA, Philippines – Justin Brownlee said he let Barangay Ginebra down after turning in the worst shooting performance of his career in a 95-82 loss to TNT in the PBA Governors’ Cup finals on Wednesday, April 12.

Brownlee shot a nightmarish 3-of-16 (18.8%) from the field and finished with a conference-low 12 points as the Gin Kings saw the Tropang Giga tie the best-of-seven series at 1-1.

The defeat marked the first time the three-time Best Import shot below 20% in his PBA career, an unpleasant result of being hounded by TNT reinforcement Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

“I feel like we could’ve come out [and] played a whole lot better, mostly myself. I felt like I kind of let my team down as their import,” said Brownlee.

Brownlee still delivered an all-around game with 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 blocks, but his poor shooting kept Ginebra from keeping in pace with the Tropang Giga.

He ended the first half making just two of his 14 field goals – a reversal of fortune from his sizzling start in their 102-90 win in Game 1.

Catching fire from the get-go, Brownlee set the tone in Game 1 by scattering 17 of his 31 points in the first quarter after a perfect 5-of-5 trip from beyond the arc.

“I had good moments in other areas but putting up those kinds of numbers for an import, I just got to be better,” said Brownlee.

Brownlee tipped his hat to Hollis-Jefferson – who dominated with 23 points, 19 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals – and the rest of the TNT crew for making the necessary defensive adjustments as he bled for his scoring.

Prior to this game, Brownlee got held to below 30% just once in the last six conferences, with his previous career-low of 25.9% coming nearly five years ago in a 104-97 loss to San Miguel in June 2018.

His 0-of-5 clip from long distance also snapped a 77-game streak with at least one three-pointer made dating back to the 2019 Governors’ Cup, according to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon.

“You got to give Talk ‘N Text a lot of credit, they switched up their game plan as far as the way they guarded me,” said Brownlee.

“Jefferson had a great game on both sides of the floor. Just got to give them a lot of credit.”

Brownlee seeks to regain his touch as the Gin Kings shoot for a 2-1 lead in Game 3 on Friday, April 14, at the Araneta Coliseum. – Rappler.com