Dominican Republic admits going against Jordan Clarkson, Gilas Pilipinas was tough

The Dominican Republic basketball team admitted on Friday that they had a tough time going against Gilas Pilipinas, despite the former taking the win, 87-81, in the opening day of the 2023 FIBA World Cup at the Philippine Arena.

"I think that was a really tough game," Dominican Republic coach Nestor Garcia said. "We respect the Philippine team. They played good basketball."

Garcia admitted that Clarkson was a factor in their challenging game.

Dominican Republic coach Nestor Garcia praised Jordan Clarkson in the Dominican’s win vs Gilas Pilipinas #FIBAWC @gmasportsph @gmanews pic.twitter.com/f3ux6tDNz8

— JK Carandang (@jk_carandang) August 25, 2023

"For us, at some moment it was difficult with Clarkson because he creates, he scores, and [does] all the traffic. He took shots wide open," added Garcia.

"This kind of game, a very tough game," Jean Montero echoed Garcia. "Jordan Clarkson obviously he's an NBA player. He scored a lot."

After surviving the Philippines, Montero said they just need to go back to their core as they face Italy on Sunday.

"For our next game, we got to be more attached to our principles as a team."

—JKC, GMA Integrated News