GILAS Pilipinas faces an acid test in its FIBA World Cup preparation as it plays Montenegro in a closed-door friendly at the Philsports Arena on Sunday.
Ranked 18th by the world governing body, the Black Mountain are led by 7-foot Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic.
They arrived in the country last Thursday and was the first among the 15 visiting teams to check in for the World Cup.
The Philippines will be going into the game fresh from an 85-62 win over Ivory Coast in a similar friendly on Friday night.
The outing marked the first time Jordan Clarkson, Scottie Thompson, and 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto played together with the rest of the national team.
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The three didn't disappoint as all of them finished in double figures behind the team-high of 13 points by Clarkson, who scored all of his output in the first half, Thompson, coming off a metacarpal fracture in his right hand, with an all-around game of 11 points, four rebounds, and five assists, and Sotto with 10 points on a near-perfect 5-of-6 shooting.
"There were still some kinks defensively, turnovers, kasi first time maglaro sila ng kumpleto, di ba?, said coach Chot Reyes after the game.
"We have to keep working on that. I was very pleased with the defense, especially sa second half. Trinabaho talaga namin yun sa Europe and sa China."
After Montenegro, Gilas will play one more friendly opposite Mexico on Monday before the coaching staff decides on the final 12-man roster, which Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is set to announce on Aug. 23.
Two days later, the Philippines kicks off its campaign in the World Cup with a game against Karl- Anthony Towns and the Dominican Republic set 8 p.m. at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. (RG)
