Gilas faces tall order vs Karl Anthony-Towns-led Dominican Republic

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey – Gilas Pilipinas’ opening game opponent, Dominican Republic, received a tremendous boost after the three-time NBA All-Star Karl Anthony-Towns finally joined them in their 2023 FIBA World Cup buildup. 

???????? El capítulo más emocionante está por comenzar. @KarlTowns se une a nuestra preselección. ¡Juntos, haremos historia en cada cancha! #FIBAWC #WinForDominicana pic.twitter.com/mN43qUwL4v

— Selección de Baloncesto de la República Dominicana (@RDBSeleccion) August 14, 2023

Towns gives the Dominican Republic the much-needed NBA star power after Boston Celtics big man Al Horford and Sacramento Kings’ wing Chris Duarte decided to skip the tournament.  

The 27-year-old Towns linked up with the rest of the team in Granada, Spain, where they are scheduled to face the NBA-stacked Canada on August 18 and top-ranked Spain on August 19. The Dominican Republic will wrap up its preparation with a tune-up game against Egypt on August 22 before heading to Manila. 

The Minnesota Timberwolves star’s arrival boosted the Dominicans’ morale after losing their first two exhibition matches — 93-86 to Puerto Rico and 74-69 to Latvia, who will also be without their star big man Kristaps Porzingis. 

Porzingis, who was recently traded to the Celtics, announced on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time) that he will miss the tournament due to plantar fasciitis. 

“It is difficult, I feel very responsible to myself and the supporters of the Latvian national team, but a decision has been made that I will not play in the World Cup,” Porzingis said in a statement. “After several weeks of recovery and a repeat MRI examination, the plantar fasciitis of my foot still prevents me from being on the field in full [capacity].”

The 7-foot-3 Porzingis added that it was a joint decision by the Latvian national team’s coaching and medical staff as well as the Celtics. 

“Such a decision is not easy to make, but I promise that I will be there and support the team as much as I can,” Porzingis said. 

The one-time NBA All-Star joins the long list of big names who will be skipping the tournament. 

Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of Serbia begged off to rest after just completing a historic championship run with the Denver Nuggets. So did the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is still recovering from surgery on his left knee. NBA’s top overall pick Victor Wembanyama also declined to play for France this time to focus on his preparation for his rookie season. The top-tier stars of Team USA also prioritized playing in the Paris Olympics next year over the World Cup in Manila.  

But not Towns, who will see action despite coming off an injury-riddled season and after a 10-year layoff from playing internationally.  

“There was a lot that went into the decision,” Towns told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. 

“The timing is right. I didn’t put as much stress on my body this last season because of the injury. I’m feeling great now. I’m 100% and feeling like myself again. It’s a perfect time to work on some things in my game. And with my mom’s passing, I felt an urgency to do it.”

The Timberwolves’ stretch big will dedicate this tournament to his mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, who succumbed to coronavirus complications in 2020. Towns got his Dominican heritage from his mother. 

Towns’ presence gives the Dominicans a solid shot in Group A and poses a massive threat to Gilas’ bid to advance to the second round. 

World No. 10 Italy is a cinch to come out on top of their group, leaving Gilas, Town’s Dominican Republic and Angola fighting for the second spot. 

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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for the New York-based website Heavy.com.