Gilas To Face CJ Giles-led Duhok!

They say it is the sweetest of friends that become the bitterest of enemies. I'm guessing the same goes for former naturalization candidates who get kicked off for disciplinary reasons.

CJ Giles, a one-time naturalization candidate for Smart Gilas, takes on Marcus Douthit, the man who ultimately took his place in a match more anticipated for the offcourt drama than the in-game action.

Gilas is aiming for their third straight win and a sure quarterfinal seat while Duhok is trying to avoid their a third loss that could put their quarterfinal hopes in jeopardy. Giles scored 28 points in their 12 point win to the KL Dragons, who lost to Gilas by 31 points.


Gametime is set at 8pm.


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Mahram Falls To Al-Riyadi, 76-73!

In the end, it came down to two superstars duking it out.

Fadi El-Khatib, the superb Lebanese superstar outgunned fellow superstar Samad Bahrami of Iran, leading Al-Riyadi of Lebanon to a 3 point win over defending champion Mahram of Iran.

And Then, There Was One Bidder Left!

How do you have a bidding with only one bidder?
Let's ask the PBA.

The pull-out of ABS-CBN from the bidding process means that the PBA airing rights are TV5's for the taking.

But PBA Commisioner Chito Salud clarified that TV5 still needs to make a marketing and financial presentation before they can be named the PBA's official coveror. TV5 is reportedly offering a five year deal.

More on this story here. 

Gilas Pulls Away in 2nd Half Against Malaysia!

On paper, it looked like an easy out. But for 2 quarters, the Westport KL Dragons more than held their own against Smart Gilas.

Then Asi Taulava made his move.

Thee Dragons got outmuscled and outhustled by Taulava, Chris Lutz and MacMac Baracael and Mark Barroca as Gilas turned a 1 point halftime deficit into a 31 point victory, 95-64.

Monster Japhet Aguilar Dunk Against Al-Ittihad!

Japhet had a lot of rim rattling dunks and this was just one of them.

Enjoy!

Smart Gilas Spanks Al-Ittihad, 101-69!

Asi Taulava and Marcus Douthit warming up

When the Saudis trotted out a lineup that looked big and powerful, everyone in the Philsports Arena took a big gulp. Japhet Aguilar looked positively thin opposite Serbian reinforcement Vladislav Dragajlovic while JV Casio and Chris Tiu were dwarfed by the stocky Saudi guards.

Then, in the very first play of the game, Tiu delivered a perfect alley-oop pass to Aguilar, who slammed the ball home. That set the tone for the game as the Gilas players played aggressive basketball to cop their first win in the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup.