The Philippines men's national basketball team is set to face off against the Dominican Republic men's national basketball team in the First Round of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
The match will take place at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 25 (Philippine Time) at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Find out how to watch, live stream or TV channel and game time information for the matchup between the Gilas Pilipinas and Dominican Republic.
- Date: Friday, August 25, 2023
- Time: 8:00 pm (PHL Time)
- Venue: Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan
- Game Stats: FIBA
- TV: One Sports / One Sports+
- Live Stream: Courtside 1891 / Pilipinas Live (Android / iOS)
Gilas Pilipinas kicks off its 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign against the Dominican Republic. Seeking to avenge their winless campaign in China four years ago, Gilas Pilipinas will be looking to get their FIBA World Cup campaign off to a winning start against the Dominican Republic.
Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson is expected to be the Philippines' most important player against the Dominican Republic. He is the team's best player, and it will be interesting to see how much head coach Chot Reyes uses him throughout the game.
In addition to Clarkson, JuneMar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar, Kai Sotto, Scottie Thompson and Dwight Ramos are also players to watch out for from the Philippines.
The Dominican Republic, ranked No. 23 in the world, boosted by the participation of Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, is the team standing in the way of the host country Philippines. The D.R. team also features center Angel Delgado, who briefly played for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019 and Golden State Warriors guard Lester Quinones.
The Dominican Republic and the Philippines crossed most recently during the 2020 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Belgrade on July 1, 2021. In that match, the Dominican Republic emerged victorious, prevailing over Gilas Pilipinas with a final score of 94-67.
A statement victory over the Dominican Republic would be a major boost for the Philippines' chances of advancing to the Second Round and making a surprise run in the FIBA World Cup.
Results and Scores: Philippines vs. Dominican Republic
Philippines
81
FINAL SCORE
87
Dominican Republic
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines | 22 | 20 | 22 | 17 | 81 |
| Dominican Republic | 18 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 87 |
The scores:
Dominican Republic 87 - Towns 26, Liz 18, Feliz 12, Montero 6, Delgado 6, Peña 5, Vargas 5, Figueroa 5, Mendoza 2, Quiñones 2, Solano 0, Suero DNP.
Philippines 81 - Clarkson 28, Fajardo 16, Ramos 13, Edu 7, Pogoy 6, Thompson 5, Ravena 2, Abando 2, Aguilar 2, Sotto 0, Malonzo 0, Perez DNP.
Game Highlights
Watch the game highlights between Philippines men's national basketball team and Dominican Republic men's national basketball team in the First Round of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Video from YouTube Channel of One Sports
Jordan Clarkson's foul trouble down the stretch proved costly as Gilas Pilipinas fell to Dominican Republic, 87-81.
In front of a raucous home crowd of 38,115, the Philippines fought valiantly behind Clarkson, who had 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists before fouling out with 3:32 remaining.
Supporting Clarkson, Fajardo delivered 16 points with a flawless 5-for-5 shooting performance from the field and a 6-for-8 record from the free-throw line.
Dwight Ramos tallied 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals in the loss.
Karl-Anthony Towns spearheaded the Dominican Republic's efforts with a notable 26 points and 10 rebounds. Victor Liz added with 18 points, six rebounds, and four steals, while Andres Feliz made a contribution of 12 points, six rebounds, and eight assists.
Gilas Pilipinas will look to bounce back from their loss to Dominican Republic when they face Angola on August 27.
What they said after the game
Chot Reyes:
“I really loved the fight of our players. They competed; they competed hard. Unfortunately, though, with the disqualification of Jordan [Clarkson] it was really a big blow for us."
"We have to make some adjustments in our offence. Today we had 19 turnovers and that was big. We shot the ball well, we shot the ball better than the Dominicans but they just had a lot more attempts than we did."
"So the story was our 19 turnovers and we gave up 17 offensive rebounds so that was it. We have to make sure we are able to cope with the defensive pressure of Angola."
"It was such a letdown that we could not pull it out. It would have been a great gift for the record number of people who came out."
"[Fajardo] is a very efficient player, 28 minutes, 16 points, he did not miss a shot. So, we wanted… it is something I was disappointed about. Towards the end, we wanted to go to him a lot more. Unfortunately, he was guarded by a 7 footer by the name of Karl-Anthony Towns as well. And I think [Towns] did a good job of denying him, forcing him to step outside and not giving him a good low post position."
Jordan Clarkson:
"We played well. We gave ourselves a chance to win. Some calls didn’t go our way, but that’s part of the game."
"We just can’t leave it in the refs’ hands to make those plays in the end. We’ll come back and try to get the next one."
June Mar Fajardo:
"Sayang bawi na lang next game. Sayang. Kaya natin manalo. Kailangan ko lang kung ano ang puwede kong maitulong sa team, gagawin ko. Team effort ’yun."
AJ Edu:
"I love the challenge and you know ultimately I wanna play in the NBA one day so I gotta do my best against players like him and he's up there as an All-Star and first-round pick and there's no better way to measure myself than to guard someone like Karl-Anthony Towns."
Karl-Anthony Towns:
"I found a way to help my team and country put a W on the board. I'm always going to do that - always play hard and give everything I have and give my team a chance to win."
"I think the fans are great, the Filipino fans are amazing I really appreciate the fans for so much love, generosity. I want to thank all the Filipinos salamat, salamat!"
