Hitting the Right Road: NLEX Staying Alive in Playoff Race

The NLEX Road Warriors started the 2020 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup with a 3-game losing slide. Since then, they have gone 3-2 in their last five games which were highlighted by back-to-back wins against teams in the upper tier of the standings. At 3-5,  the Road Warriors are now in the eighth spot. With the elimination round of the all-Filipino bubble conference in Clark nearing its climax, it seems that NLEX has hit the right road when it matters the most and that's why they remain alive in the playoff race.

Against the top-seeded TNT Tropang Giga last week, the Road Warriors had to survive a tense game but were able to score a 109-98 victory against Jason Castro and company thanks to the combined efforts of Kevin Alas, Jericho Cruz, and Kiefer Ravena. Alas led the way with 24 points including the lay-up with 20 seconds left to bury the Tropang Giga for good. Jericho Cruz added 19 points and shot five for seven from the three-point line. Kiefer Ravena finished with 16 points including the three-pointer with 50 seconds to go to make it a three-possession game. The Phenom also had nine rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 29 minutes off the bench.

On Wednesday, NLEX stunned another top team in the form of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters with the Road Warriors unleashed a 30-point fourth quarter to grab a 94-74 win. For the second straight game, Alas was the leading scorer for NLEX with 18 points off the bench. Cruz followed that up with 17 points while four others of Coach Yeng Guiao scored seven points or more with Ravena finishing with seven points and seven assists.

NLEX has four players who are averaging 13 points or more in the eight games that they've played so far with Kiefer Ravena leading them with 18 points per game (ninth in the league). More than their offense, their defense which is holding high-scoring teams such TNT and Rain or Shine down, is what keeping the Road Warriors alive in the playoff race. TNT is averaging 105 points this conference and yet, they were held to just 98 points. NLEX also limited a Rain or Shine team to just 74 points when the Elasto Painters are averaging 82 points a contest. 

NLEX has three more games to finish the elimination round beginning with a big game against the defending champions, San Miguel Beermen then a game against the Alaska Aces on Monday before closing things out against the still-winless TerraFirma Dyip on Wednesday. If the Road Warriors can stay on the right road from here on until November 11, they will be in the playoffs. 

As Jerico Cruz said after the game against Rain or Shine, "We don't want to go home yet"

Photo is from ESPN