Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was proud of his defensive effort in Game 2 when he put the clamps down on Justin Brownlee to lead TNT to a series-equalizing 95-82 win. *Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was a two-way player for TNT in Game 2, leading the Tropang Giga's attack while putting the clamps on Justin Brownlee. (PBA Images)*

The NBA veteran, who has been known as a great two-way player, took the challenge of TNT head coach Jojo Lastimosa to limit the scoring of Brownlee who torched the Tropang Giga for 31 points in Game 1. That version of Brownlee was nowhere to be found after Hollis-Jefferson and at times Poy Erram and Glen Khobuntin took turns in making life difficult for the resident Ginebra import. "This guy here put all his energy on defending Brownlee. I told Rondae at halftime that even if he doesn't score as much for as long as Brownlee doesn't score, the other guys are gonna pick up the scoring for him,” Lastimosa said of his prolific import who, apart from defending Brownlee, still managed to submit a near triple-double line of 23 points, 19 rebounds and nine assists. "He did some scoring in the second half but Rondae took the challenge of guarding Brownlee pretty much the whole game,” the TNT mentor added. In result, Brownlee could only muster 12 points on 3-of-16 shooting from the field and a 0-of-5 from the three-point line – a series of personal lows in years. Brownlee’s output was his conference-low and the fewest points he scored since tallying just 11 in the semifinals game against Magnolia last conference. His three-point shooting clip also tied his worst performance in the playoffs since also shooting 0-of-5 in the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup Finals against San Miguel. “I'm cool with that. I've been a defender my whole life, so it's nothing for me to turn off the scoring or turn it up more (on defense). It's just about adjusting to what we need in those moments, and I feel like I do a really good job at that,” said Hollis-Jefferson.