Philippines vs Dominican Republic Basketball Preview: Prediction, rosters and more for the FIBA World Cup 2023

Modified Aug 24, 2023 12:22 GMT

Jordan Clarkson of the Philippines and Karl-Anthony Towns of the Dominican Republic. — Philippines vs Dominican Republic preview, prediction, rosters and more.

The Philippines are set to start their 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign against the Dominican Republic on Friday, August 25. Let's take a look at how each team fared during their preparations, their final rosters and matchup predictions for the game preview.

Gilas Pilipinas had a mixed bag of results in their seven tune-up games ahead of the World Cup. They won four of their first five before losing their final two against Montenegro and Mexico.

Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic only won one of their four tune-up games. They lost to Puerto Rico, Latvia and Spain, all of which were fairly close contests. Their lone win came against one of the favorites to win the World Cup, Canada.

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Group A action between the Philippines and Dominican Republic will be at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

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2023 FIBA World Cup game preview

The Philippines are ranked 40th in the world heading into the 2023 FIBA World Cup. They're making their third-straight appearance in the competition but are looking to bounce back after a disappointing winless campaign in 2019.

Gilas Pilipinas will have one NBA player on their roster, Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz. Clarkson has Filipino blood but plays as a naturalized player due to not getting his Philippines passport before the age of 16. Nevertheless, he's expected to provide a spark at the offensive end.

Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic are also making their third straight appearance in the FIBA World Cup. They finished 13th in 2014 and 16th in 2019, so they will look to fare better this time.

While the Philippines have Clarkson, the Dominicans boast three-time NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Towns is making his return to the national team after missing several tournaments to focus on his professional career.

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Philippines vs Dominican Republic FIBA World Cup prediction

Gilas Pilipinas' goal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup is to finish with the best record among Asian countries for an outright qualification to the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, they're going to have a tough time against the Dominican Republic.

Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the most skilled big men in the NBA and could pose a threat against Filipino centers like June Mar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar and Kai Sotto. With many hometown fans cheering the Philippines, expect them to put up a valiant fight in a loss to the Dominican Republic