Gilas Pilipinas hopes to boost Asian Games quarterfinal bid vs. China

Gilas Pilipinas will look to bolster its quarterfinals hopes when it faces the still unbeaten China team on Monday in the 2026 Asian Games.

The defending gold medalists currently carry an even 1-1 card after losing to Bahrain and blowing out Kazakhstan in their first two games, while the Chinese crew both dominated Bahrain and Kazakhstan for a 2-0 card.

A win by the Filipinos could boost—or likely formalize—their bid for a quarterfinal berth.

However, it's easier said than done.

China kicked off its redemption bid with a 99-61 lopsided win against Kazakhstan where six players reached double figures in scoring led by the 17 points of Jiahao Yu and 16 markers of Hongquan Li.
It then eked out a 105-59 victory over Bahrain, where Sanning Liao erupted for 23 points and Yuezhou Li chipped in 18 markers.

The Philippines, meanwhile, was overwhelmed in the opening game after absorbing a narrow 89-85 loss to Bahrain before bouncing back and torching Kazakhstan with a 109-78 win.

In case of a loss, Gilas Pilipinas could still enter the quarterfinals by being among the top two best third-place finishers.

—JKC, GMA News