Asian Games 2023 basketball: Gilas Pilipinas run out comfortable 87–72 winners over Thailand
The Philippines secured passage through to the elimination rounds with their second win of the 19th Asian Games basketball tournament. Their last group game against Jordan will decide which team wins the group.
Basketball
Gilas Pilipinas are safely through to the knockout rounds at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou after sealing their second group win in the men's basketball competition on Thursday (28 September).
Led by Justin Brownlee's 19 points and Jaymar Perez's 16, the Philippines despatched Southeast Asian rivals Thailand 87–72 at the Zhejiang University Zijingang Gymnasium off the back of strong second and third quarters.
The Gilas Pilipinas actually trailed early on and did not look their best, as Thailand found their groove early to run up the score to a 10-point lead (22–12) with 1:16 remaining in the first.
However, the Philippines then netted 15 unanswered points of their own, and although Thailand kept the game close, the momentum had clearly shifted. The Gilas led by six at half-time and by 18 at the end of the third quarter. Indeed, in the second and third quarters combined, Thailand were outscored 28–48 by the Gilas.
It was perhaps telling that of Thailand's 72 points, a whopping 51 came from two players, Tyler Lamb and Frederick Lee Jones Lish, who carried the Thai hopes. However, even they weren't able to drag Thailand back into the contest in the last quarter.
In addition to Brownlee and Perez, Earl Scottie Thompson added seven points and nine assists in his 31:55 on court, proving to be one of the Gilas' key men.
With progress secured to at least the round-of-12, the Gilas will now look towards a group decider against Jordan, who are also 2–0 in the group. The winner of that match will obtain a bye directly into the quarter-finals, skipping the play-in round-of-12.