BOCAUE, Bulacan – Karl-Anthony Towns praised Gilas Pilipinas for putting up a whale of a fight, making Dominican Republic earn the win on Friday night on opening day of the Fiba Basketball World Cup.
Towns had 26 points and 10 rebounds, nailing clutch shots in Dominican Republic’s 87-81 win over the Philippines at the Philippine Arena.
READ: Gilas' brave stand vs Dominican Republic falls short
The Minnesota Timberwolves star said he expected a tough stand by Gilas in the game, having known the culture of the Philippines through one of his close friends who was born in General Santos City.
“Filipinos are a culture that don’t give up and they play hard as I expect,” said Towns after the game. “This culture is nothing but hardworking people.”
Gilas bigs took turns in guarding Towns that included AJ Edu, one of the youngest players on the team.
When asked about his thoughts on Edu, Towns said: “Fantastic player. Ultimate competitor. Love the competition he brought tonight. Makes me better.”
Despite playing before a highly partisan crowd, Towns got an opportunity to thank the Filipino fans personally after he approached a few sections in the venue that was waiting for him.
“It’s amazing. I’ve never been here. I told everyone I was dying to come here. I didn’t know it would be through basketball. Again, super excited to be here. The fans have been nothing but amazing.”
“I’ve grown up with my best friends who is heavy on Filipino culture, he was born here. General Santos. Very proud to be a Dominican but also very proud to meet all the great fans in the Philippines and being able to tell them ‘Salamat. Mabuhay,’” said Towns.
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