GILAS Pilipinas kicks off its Asian Games title retention bid against Bahrain on Sept. 11 at the Aichi International Arena.
The Filipinos also opened their bid in the Asiad three years ago in Hangzhou, China against Bahrain and came away with a huge 89-61 win.
Kazakhstan and powerhouse China are next for the defending champions as they are bunched together in Group C.
READ: Gilas, China set for early Asiads clash as they meet in Group C
Gilas takes on the Kazakhs the day after playing Bahrain, and following a one day rest, gets its early rematch against the Chinese on Sept. 14.
China is eager to get back against the Filipinos after dealing them a 77-76 heartbreaker at home in the semifinals three years ago as Gilas rallied back from a 20-point deficit.
Men’s basketball formally gets underway on Sept. 10 that features host Japan battling Indonesia and South Korea taking on Saudi Arabia in Group A.
Also on opening day, it’s Iran taking on Qatar and 2023 silver medalist Jordan facing Chinese Taipei in Group B.
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