Gilas Pilipinas lost a tight game against the Dominican Republic, 87-81, as the FIBA Basketball World Cup kicked off in three Asian nations. For Friday’s game, a record crowd of 38,115 packed Philippine Arena.
Jordan Clarkson scored 28 points but committed eight turnovers and fouled out with 3:30 remaining, while Karl-Anthony Towns produced a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds.
The Dominicans shared the early Group A lead with Italy, who defeated Angola 81-67 in the opening game.
Gilas was just behind 79-76 when Clarkson was penalised for his fifth dubious offensive foul. But they stayed close, with June Mar Fajardo and AJ Edu combining for three free throws sandwiched around a Towns drive to put it 81-79 with 1:54 remaining. Dominican Republic, on the other hand, maintained their cool and answered with five consecutive points to seal the game.
Despite the defeat, Gilas coach Chot Reyes was happy with his squad’s performance, especially as the team prepares for a must-win game against Angola on Monday.
“I really loved the fight of our players,” he remarked. “They competed fiercely. Unfortunately, Jordan’s disqualification is a major setback for us. But we can’t be concerned about it right now. We must concentrate on our next game. We have a short turnaround and must prepare for Angola.”
Towns thanked both Gilas and the Filipino supporters.
“They’re a dedicated group. They are really proud of themselves. Towns added, “Their culture as well.” “The people work hard and with a lot of love.” You can tell how much they care about this game and their nation. So they came out and played in such manner. I have a great deal of respect for them.”
AJ Edu is chosen over Kai Sotto.
Edu started and completed the game, playing 27 minutes and scoring seven points on a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor while also grabbing five rebounds. Towns praised him, saying Edu helped him become a better player.
“That’s awesome,” Edu remarked when he heard Towns’ remarks. “You want to compete with those guys, especially if that’s the level I want to reach one day.”
Meanwhile, Sotto got penalised for two fast fouls in the first quarter, was sent back to the bench, and never saw the court again. He hardly had a minute and a half to play.
“Kai picked up two quick fouls, so we had to get him out right away,” said Reyes. “And then we couldn’t get him back in because the guy to my left [Edu] was playing really well.” He was playing quite well. If we bring him back, the other player I’ll have to bench is June Mar Fajardo, who got 16 points in 28 minutes. I’m sure many people are wondering why, but the match-ups just did not favour Kai. You should see more of him in the next game and the one after that.”
Record-breaking attendance
After 38,115 people packed the Philippine Arena, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) broke the single-game attendance record for a FIBA World Cup game. Members of the Philippine squad from the 1978 FIBA World Championships, which were also held in Manila, were among those in attendance, as was former NBA great Dirk Nowitzki.
“It’s such a letdown,” remarked Reyes. “We could have pulled it out, and it would have been a great gift to the record crowd that came out.”
NBA players shine in other games
Other NBA players made their impact as well.
In Group D at the Mall of Asia Arena, Montenegro defeated Mexico, 91-71, with Nikola Vucevic dropping 27 points, while Lithuania defeated Egypt, 93-67, with Jonas Valunciunas posting a double-double of 15 and 10.
In Okinawa Group E, Australia defeated Finland 98-72 behind Patty Mills’ 25 points, while Germany defeated co-host Japan 81-63 behind Mo Wagner’s 25 points.
Finally, favourites Canada defeated France 95-65 in Group H in Jakarta, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 27 points in 27 minutes and Kelly Olynyk adding 18.
This World Cup features a record-breaking 55 NBA players.
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