MANILA, Philippines – After finally solving the New Zealand puzzle, Gilas Pilipinas looks to complete the two-game home sweep of the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers when it battles Hong Kong at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, November 24.

Still undefeated in Group B with a 3-0 record, a win against Hong Kong will put Gilas Pilipinas another step closer to clinching an outright berth to next year’s Asia Cup as it will only need New Zealand to beat Chinese Taipei on Monday, November 25, to formalize its entry. 

Playing in front of 16,666 fans at the Mall of Asia Arena last Thursday, November 21, the Filipinos protected their home court and broke through against New Zealand for the first time in five FIBA-sanctioned games with a rousing 93-89 win.

As expected, Justin Brownlee topped the scoring column with 26 points, along with 11 rebounds, while Kai Sotto delivered his finest game yet for Gilas Pilipinas as he racked up a near triple-double of 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. 

Scottie Thompson stepped up with 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Chris Newsome and Dwight Ramos poured in 11 markers each.

As Gilas Pilipinas faces a winless, 0-3 Hong Kong squad — which it defeated by 30 points in the opening window last February — expect an even more balanced scoring output from the Filipinos as national team head coach Tim Cone will likely use a deeper rotation.

Against New Zealand, Brownlee, Ramos, Sotto, and Thompson all played heavy minutes as other Gilas Pilipinas players saw limited action, with collegiate standouts Kevin Quiambao and Mason Amos logging DNPs (Did Not Play). 

Hong Kong, for its part, is expected to rely heavily on its main guys Oliver Xu, former Bay Area Dragons big man Duncan Reid, and Leung Shiu Wah as it hopes to pull off a miraculous upset. 

Xu was the lone double-digit scorer for Hong Kong with 11 points in their 85-55 loss to Chinese Taipei on Thursday. 

Game time is 7:30 pm. – Rappler.com