GILAS Pilipinas comes into its Fiba World Cup qualifying match against Australia as the expected underdog on the court and the betting field.
Local oddsmakers have installed the Philippines with a +19.5 handicap in the point-spread game, meaning a bet on the Filipino dribblers would still win if they lose by 19 points.
It’s understandable as Australia, playing on home soil in Melbourne, is ranked 10th in the world, 21 spots ahead of the Philippines which is fielding a young lineup led by PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo.
Oddsmakers have also put an 11 multiplier on the Philippines in their head-to-head matchup, meaning a P100 bet would win you P1,000, compared to Australia’s multiplier of 1.07, meaning a P100 bet would only get you P7.
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