KJ McDaniels delivers in last outing, tows NLEX past Barangay Ginebra for twice-to-beat bonus

KJ McDaniels delivered a solid game in his last outing in the PBA Governors' Cup as he towed the NLEX Road Warriors past Barangay Ginebra, 115-103, on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, and helped the team clinch the twice-to-beat advantage.

McDaniels, who tallied 26 points and 10 rebounds, put the exclamation point for NLEX as he dunked for his final shot in the conference.

The NLEX reinforcement is set to return to the United States to be with his wife who is expected to give birth this month. Cameron Clark will replace McDaniels for the playoffs.

After trailing 58-53 at the first half, NLEX detonated for a 30-point explosion in the third period and limited Barangay Ginebra to just 19 to end the frame ahead, 83-77.

Ginebra was still within six, 109-103, with 2:04 left in the fourth period before NLEX went on a run and took the win.

Aside from McDaniels' impressive performance, Kevin Alas took over for NLEX with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, while Kris Rosales, Justin Chua, and Don Trollano had 17, 15, and 14 points, respectively.

Ginebra import Justin Brownlee registered 36 points and 11 rebounds while Scottie Thompson flirted with a triple-double, making 14 points, 17 rebounds, and nine assists.

NLEX ended the elimination round on a four-game streak and an 8-3 record, giving them a twice-to-beat bonus heading into the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra (5-5) will try to bounce back on Sunday against the Rain or Shine Elastopainters and book a slot for the quarterfinals.

The scores:

NLEX 115 – McDaniels 26, Alas 18, Rosales 17, Chua 15, Trollano 14, Quinahan 10, Nieto 5, Murrell 4, Ighalo 3, Paniamogan 3, Soyud 0.

Ginebra 103 – Brownlee 36, Standhardinger 16, J. Aguilar 15, Thompson 14, Tenorio 9, Chan 7, Pinto 2, Onwubere 2, Tolentino 2, R. Aguilar 0.

Quarters: 21-33, 53-58, 83-77, 115-103.

—JMB, GMA News