Philippines are aiming to draw strength from their home crowd as they want to start their campaign strong, as they face Dominican Republic for their opener. The Philippines and Dominican Republic have already crossed paths during the 2021 Olympic Qualifiers. However, on that match, it was Dominican Republic who bagged a dominating 94-67 win. Moreover, in the FIBA rankings, these two teams are quite far from each other. While the Philippines sit at the 40th spot, Dominican Republic is at the 23rd spot of the rankings. The Philippines is now on their sixth qualification in the World Cup, where their last podium finish is during the 1954 edition. As for Dominican Republic, this is just their fourth qualification in the World Cup, failing to impress. The meeting between these two teams is on August 25, 2023, at 8:00 PM (GMT+8).
Philippines
Philippines is a team who had mixed results during their preparation for the contest when they had their tune-up games. They were able to win four of their first five tune-up games, but they were not able to continue that as they lost their last two. Moreover, Philippines are sitting at the 40th of the FIBA rankings, and are now on their third-straight appearance in the World Cup. However, their 2019 World Cup campaign is nothing but a disappointing one. They were winless in 2019, which made them eager to bounce back from that disappointing campaign. Their defeat against Mexico and Montenegro might affect their opener though. In order for the Philippines to win here, they need to find their rhythm and transition as early as their opener. Philippines’ home crowd will be a huge factor for the Philippines in this game.
Jordan Clarkson, who had an impressive campaign in the NBA last season, will be Philippines’ key player. Additionally, they have guys like Junemar Fajardo, and Scottie Thompson, who are capable of bringing energy for the Filipino squad.
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic is no better when it comes to their preparation for the World Cup, as they only had one win form their four matches. They failed to win against Puerto Rico, Latvia, and Spain, but that one win is against Canada, one of the favorites to win the title. Fortunately, when it comes to the FIBA rankings, they are ahead of their opponents, as they are at the 23rd. This could bring them confidence to play in this match, as it only means that they are the better team. Moreover, this is already the third-straight appearance of Dominican Republic in the World Cup. In 2014, they finished at the 13th, while they failed to be better in 2019, as they finished at the 16th. Their number one advantage in this match is their athleticism and their skills inside the paint. Philippines need to double-team their center, which would provide opportunities for their gunners.
Karl Anthony-Towns’ return for Dominican Republic is a huge boost for them, as he will be their main man in their campaign. However, aside from Towns, guys like Eloy Vargas, Victor Liz, and Angel Delgado are also capable players. They are capable of exploding anytime, delivering an impressive performance.
Prediction:
Dominican Republic
Total Under: 80.5
Odds: 0.90
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