Justin Brownlee (with ball) will be a crucial piece against Taipei and New Zealand. —QATAR BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PHOTO

Gilas Pilipinas flies back home on Monday bearing lessons from a short stint in Doha, Qatar, which the Filipinos can immediately put to use against two familiar opponents on their respective home turfs.

The Nationals played world No. 38 Egypt in the wee hours of Monday morning—barely a full day removed from a 75-54 loss at the hands of continental rival Lebanon—to close out a pocket tournament that served as a tuneup for the final window of the Asia Cup Qualifiers they will play on the road.

Article continues after this advertisement

Next up for the gallant Filipinos are Chinese Taipei and New Zealand, the final games that carry some weight before they fly to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, six months from now for the main event.

FEATURED STORIES SPORTS UAAP: La Salle loss to NU a wake-up call, says coach Ramil de Jesus SPORTS UAAP: Ateneo faces early adversity after Zel Tsunashima injury SPORTS NBA All-Star: Mac McClung pulls off first dunk contest three-peat

READ: Gilas Pilipinas struggles in 4th quarter, falls to Lebanon in Doha

“We’ve been together for about a year now under the system of coach Tim Cone, and we feel like we’re getting used to it,” guard CJ Perez said in one of the interviews ahead of the four-nation friendlies.

Article continues after this advertisement

“We’re looking at the bigger picture here. The players are busy in different leagues, so we have limited time being together,” said Calvin Oftana. “So we’re not taking this chance for granted. Every day is important to us.”

Article continues after this advertisement

Already in the continental showpiece in August with a 4-0 mark, Gilas battles the Chinese and the Tall Blacks—two sides they convincingly beat in their previous meetings—for games that will determine their seeding in the field that will feature the Cedars—whom they lost steam against in Doha last Sunday—Jordan, along with regional powerhouses Japan, New Zealand and World No. 7 Australia.

Article continues after this advertisement Chinese are up

Gilas takes on Chinese Taipei on Thursday at Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, hoping to score another blowout against a side that only has five players present when the Filipinos bamboozled them, 106-53, in Pasig City back in February 2024.

However, the Chinese squad’s 16-man roster for the rematch has head coach Gianluca Tucci excited.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in documents that it opened the probe on Thursday after the company reported four crashes when Teslas encountered sun glare, fog and airborne dust.

Article continues after this advertisement

“Tough situation because we are in the middle of a season. Some players are missing, but we’ve selected very motivated players,” the Italian mentor said. “[But] also happy that there are new players because that means there would be new motivations. We’ll do our best.”

The Chinese, who are also scheduled to play Hong Kong a few nights later, are looking to score at least one win in this culminating window to lock up a third-place finish in the pool race that affords them a chance to compete for a wildcard spot to the Asia Cup.

Gilas, for its part, will then fly to Auckland and play the 3-1 Kiwis on Sunday morning (Manila time) at Spark Arena in a highly-anticipated rematch that extends the two nations’ previously one-sided rivalry.

The Filipinos prevailed in their last encounter, hacking out a 93-89 decision riding the shoulders of young cornerstone Kai Sotto, who has since been shelved due to a knee ligament tear.

The Tall Blacks, like the Nationals, have also qualified for the continental showpiece. They hope to make things even with Gilas, bringing over several new faces for the grudge match.

casino majestic pride Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

SIGN ME UP

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

“The ultimate goal is to get top seed out of our pool so that we position ourselves in the best pool when it comes to the Asia Cup in Augustpwbet gaming,” head coach Judd Flavell said recently in a news bulletin. “So we need to win both games. That’s the job we have in front of us.” INQ

PINASWIN88 READ NEXT Nitura announces coming with record first game by a rookie and... Confident curling SQUAD gets PSC promise for OQE journey funding EDITORS' PICK Poll campaign not reason to delay VP Duterte impeachment trial – lawyer Singapore tops Asia-Pacific cities in livability, lovability, prosperity Reps: Rodrigo Duterte’s threats to kill not aligned with Filipino values 59 couples exchange vows under San Juan’s annual mass wedding Flooding hits US southeast as snow, frigid cold forecast for NE, Plains DOJ Usec Gutierrez in Rising Tigers’ top 50 most influential Filipinos MOST READ Former child actress Kim Sae-ron dies at 24 NBI urged to probe Duterte’s joke on killing 15 senators LTO: Attach license plates upon release or face penalty PNP mum on cops wearing ‘touch of red’ in Davao rally Follow @FMangosingINQ on Twitter --> View comments