Gilas Pilipinas eyes bounce back vs equally hungry Angola in FIBA World Cup

Gilas Pilipinas will look to recover from their opening day loss to the Dominican Republic as it plunges back into action in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup against equally hungry Angola here at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.

The Filipinos and the Angolans will meet in a Group A clash at 8 p.m. while powerhouses Italy and Dominican Republic will look to get their winning momentum going when they take on each other at 4 p.m.

Read more | FIBA World Cup Preview: A Serbian correspondent breaks down Gilas Pilipinas vs Angola

Both the Philippines and Angola dropped their opening day matches.

Angola, which ranks No. 41 in the world, absorbed an 81-67 loss to the Italians last Friday as Utah Jazz player Simone Fontecchio led the way for the world No. 10 Azzurri with 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.

Unlike Angola, Gilas kept their game against the Dominicans close, losing by just six points, 87-81, with Jordan Clarkson scoring 28 points before fouling out of the contest with over three minutes left.

(Angola's Bruno Fernando at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Photo: fiba.basketball)

Fernando, who plays for the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA, churned out 13 points, five rebounds, and four steals in the loss while the 25-year-old Dundao put together 19 markers, three boards, and two steals.

This means that Gilas frontcourt led by June Mar Fajardo and AJ Edu will have another busy day while Clarkson is tipped to go all out once more, especially coming off a loss.

"I really love the fight of our players. They competed hard. But you know, we can't worry about that now. We have to focus on our next game. Quick turnaround for us and we gotta get ready for Angola," Gilas head coach Chot Reyes said.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News