Chot Reyes credits Gilas defense vs Jordan: 'Our defense carried us to the victory'

Philippine national men's basketball team head coach Chot Reyes lauded the relentless defense that his players unleashed against Jordan in their clash in the fifth window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Friday morning (Philippine time).

Staring at a 41-37 deficit at the break, the Gilas Pilipinas defense came out strong in the third quarter, limiting the hosts to just 10 points in the frame en route to a 74-66 victory.

That allowed the Philippines to hike its slate up to 4-3 in Group E.

"Obviously, we're very happy with the result and for the game, we really focused on our defense and being able to stop their main players," Reyes said shortly after the victory.

"And I think the result was we were able to hold them to below 70 points, so I think that speaks well of our ability to defend. I thought our defense carried us to the victory."

Scottie Thompson led the way as he came close to a triple-double with a statline of eight points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists while youngster Kai Sotto buckled down for 16 markers, seven boards, and two dimes.

The Gilas defense forced Jordan to commit 21 turnovers, 10 of those from one of its leading scorers in Ahmad Al Dwairi, who finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds.

After the win in front of Jordan's home crowd, Reyes said they maintain a high level of respect for their opponents.

"We knew it's going to be a tough game. We have very high respect of the Jordanian basketball team. We played them so many time already in the past."

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News