Jordan Clarkson’s Heroics Overshowed by Ejection, as Karl-Anthony Towns Scraps a Narrow Win in Front of the Home Crowd

FIBA World Cup 2023 is here, and the hosts kick-started their campaign with much excitement and fervor. The Philippines faced the Dominican Republic in their first match of the tournament, a match that promised a lot. The Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns backs the Dominican Republic. While, the Philippines have the home advantage and also, another NBA star in Jordan Clarkson.

The two teams went head to head, and it was looking like a close encounter. However, the Dominican Republic launched a late surge and dominated the third and fourth quarters.

Jordan Clarkson steals the first half over Karl-Anthony Towns

Gilas Pilipinas started their FIBA 2023 campaign on a bad note. Going into the game, the Republic had a slight edge with players like Karl-Anthony Towns, LJ Figueroa, and Antonio Pena.

Led by local star and Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson, the host team came back brilliantly from an early Dominican Republic lead. The first quarter ended at 22-18 with the Dominican Republic taking the early advantage.

Their lead wouldn’t last for long. Clarkson displayed his skills in front of the home crowd and Gilas Pilipinas went into halftime tied at 42.

The 2021 NBA Sixth Man of the Year had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists at halftime. On the other hand, his NBA counterpart, Karl-Anthony Towns, finished the first half with 11 points and 3 rebounds. 

Strong Dominican Republic performance delivers first loss to hosts

Despite his first-half heroics, the Utah Jazz star was ejected during the fourth quarter because of his five fouls. This surely impacted Gilas Pilipinas as the Dominican Republic started to dominate the game.

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Clarkson’s two back-to-back free throws gave the hosts a 72-69 lead halfway through the final quarter. However, it all went downhill for Gilas Pilipinas after two clutch three-pointers by Andre Feliz and Antonio Pena.

Philipinas’ star player was fouled out of the game when the Dominican Republic led the game 79-76 and 3 mins left of regulation time. Without Clarkson on the court, Anthony-Towns took charge and started a late Dominican surge.

Despite an injury scare for Victor Liz after a hard fall, the Dominican Republic closed the game with an 86-81 win. Clarkson ended his game with 28 points while Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points, and 10 rebounds while shooting 15/16 from the free-throw line.

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What were your thoughts about the match? Let us know in the comments below.