In a virtual do-or-die game to make it to the next round, Gilas Pilipinas got their first victory of the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya with a 60-37 triumph over Kazakhstan on Saturday evening at the Aichi International Arena.
As they bounced back from a narrow 89-85 defeat against Bahrain, they now look to finish the group stage with a rematch of the 2023 Asian Games finals against China on Monday, in hopes to solidify their chances to get a quarterfinal berth.
From Robert Bolick's breakout performance and other aspects the Philippines can still improve, here's how Gilas was able to get the important win versus Kazakhstan.
Bolick finds his groove
With an opportunity to build some rhythm ahead of a tough matchup against China, Gilas Pilipinas made sure to capitalise on its game against Kazakhstan, giving some of its struggling players a chance to settle into the competition after a jittery debut.
One of the biggest beneficiaries of that opportunity was Robert Bolick.
After Kazakhstan kept things close at 18-15 through the first quarter, Bolick helped ignite a huge second-quarter run for Gilas, scoring 13 points coming in a variety of ways to fuel a 32-22 period that gave the Philippines some much-needed breathing room going into the second half.
It was a stark turnaround from his debut against Bahrain, where Bolick went scoreless and struggled to find his footing offensively, while being hampered by an injury.
Against Kazakhstan, however, the guard was far more assertive. He attacked closeouts, got downhill when the defense gave him an opening and knocked down his chances from the outside, giving Gilas another source of offense as its lead began to grow and evidenced by his 20 points on 84.2 TS%.
For Bolick, it was exactly the kind of bounce-back performance Gilas needed - not only to put his first game behind him, but to regain the confidence and rhythm that could prove important once better competition comes into view.
Ahanmisi provides much-needed shooting
One of the untapped strengths of this version of Gilas Pilipinas is its ability to shoot the basketball from behind the arc, something several of its players have already displayed in the PBA. After Calvin Oftana showcased that against Bahrain with six made triples, it was Jerrick Ahanmisi's turn to show why he is one of the country's most dangerous shooters.
The reigning Three-Point King of this season's PBA All-Star Weekend led the Philippines in scoring with 22 points, going 7-for-11 from beyond the arc. Five of those triples came in the fourth quarter, when Ahanmisi helped Gilas pull further away and eventually stretch its lead to 31 points.
Beyond simply adding points to the scoreboard, Ahanmisi's shooting gave Gilas another way to punish a defense that was already struggling to keep up with its ball movement and penetration. His ability to space the floor forces defenders to stay attached on the perimeter, opening driving lanes and giving the Philippines more room to operate inside.
It also proved valuable in the context of the Asian Games standings. After dropping their opener to Bahrain, Gilas needs to maximize its margin of victory, with quotient potentially becoming a factor in determining the best third-placed teams that advance to the quarterfinals.
Through two games, the Philippines now owns the best three-point shooting percentage among the teams in the tournament at 41%, with Ahanmisi and Bolick providing the explosion from deep against Kazakhstan while Oftana had his six-triple performance against Bahrain.
The question now is whether Gilas can continue getting that kind of perimeter production when the competition gets tougher, because if its shooters can consistently punish defenses from deep, it gives Tim Cone another dimension to work if they are to head into the knockout stages.
Gilas Pilipinas at the Asian Games
Gilas Pilipinas is drawn in Group C alongside Bahrain, Kazakhstan and China.
Fixtures
Sept. 11: Philippines vs. Bahrain
Sept. 12: Philippines vs. Kazakhstan
Sept. 14: Philippines vs. China
Tournament progression
Quarterfinals: Sept. 16
Semifinals: Sept. 18
Final: Sept. 20