GILAS Pilipinas started its Fiba Basketball World Cup 2023 campaign with a heartbreaking loss Dominican Republic, 87-81, in front of a banner crowd at the Philippine Arena.
The loss sent Gilas Pilipinas to the bottom of the standings in Group A alongside Angola, which lost to Italy, 81-67, in the opener on Friday night. Italy and Dominican Republic share the group lead on 1-0 win-loss records.

Incidentally, the teams at the top and the bottom of Group A will face each other on Sunday as the scene now shifts to the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Here’s how things stand at the moment:
Group A (W-L)Italy 1-0Dominican Republic 1-0Philippines 0-1Angola 0-1
For Gilas, the match against Angola carries so much significance in an ambitious bid to advance to the next round.
SCENARIOS
The Philippines takes on Angola on Sunday at 8 p.m. at the Big Dome in a game that is a must-win for both teams.
A loss by Gilas Pilipinas over Angola would all but relegate the co-host to the classification phase since its final game of the group stage will be on Tuesday against Italy, a team that is heavily-favored to top Group A.
Even with a win over Angola, the road will still not be easy for Gilas because it will be up against the powerhouse European side Italy in its final group game.
Italy is scheduled to play against Dominican Republic in the first game at 4 p.m. with the winner clinching a berth in the second round.
If Italy loses to Dominican Republic, it would only be then that the fate of Gilas Pilipinas will still be in their hands as it must beat Angola and Italy to progress.
If Dominican Republic loses in the first game, the Philippines' fate is no longer in its hands as Gilas must not only win over Angola on Sunday and Italy on Tuesday, Angola must also beat Dominican Republic on Tuesday as well to advance.
Another scenario is a possible tie for second with a 1-2 (win-loss) record among the Philippines, Dominican Republic, and Angola.
It could happen if Italy beat Dominican Republic and the Philippines defeat Angola on Sunday. We will discuss the scenarios next time once it happens.
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