BOCAUE – Chot Reyes believes the fifth and final foul slapped on Jordan Clarkson could have easily been a let go situation for Gilas Pilipinas in its opening game in the FIBA World Cup on Friday night against Dominican Republic.
But then again, breaks of the game happen and this one just didn’t go the way of the Philippines.
“That’s pretty obvious to everyone here. We pretty much know about basketball. We all understand that it could have been easily a let go, right?” said Reyes in the aftermath of Gilas’ 87-81 loss to the Dominican Republic at the Philippine Arena.
Reyes though, didn't argue his case to the extent that he might get fined. He was just answering a question when asked about his thoughts on the fifth and final foul called on Clarkson with 3:32 to go and the Philippines trailing by only three, 79-76.
READ: Gilas' brave stand vs Dominican Republic falls short
Karl-Anthony Towns sank both free throws to give the Dominicans more breathing room in the tightly-fought contest played before a new record crowd of 38,115.
Although Gilas managed to close in at 81-79, the Filipinos began to play tentative in the absence of their No. 1 offensive player.
Reyes was not making any excuses, but admitted the exit of Clarkson eventually took its toll on Gilas coming home.
“The disqualification of Jordan was really a big blow for us,” said the Gilas coach.
Clarkson finished with a game-high 28 points, including 18 in the first half.
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