Stocks● Neutral
Gilas Pilipinas drops two without Sotto, Brownlee
Gilas Pilipinas dropped both FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers without Kai Sotto and Justin Brownlee. The margin for error is thin ahead of November's window.
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The Philippines lost both games in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers this window, falling to New Zealand and Chinese Taipei. The results were not a surprise. Kai Sotto, the team's tallest and best player, was out with an injury. Justin Brownlee, the naturalized guard who has been the team's offensive engine for years, was also unavailable.
Without those two, Gilas Pilipinas had no answer for New Zealand's size and pace in a 93-71 loss on Thursday. The Tall Blacks shot 52% from the field and outrebounded the Philippines 42-28. Two nights later, Chinese Taipei used a 14-2 run in the third quarter to pull away for an 87-76 win.
Coach Tim Cone started a lineup that averaged 6-foot-3 across the frontcourt against New Zealand. Sotto is 7-foot-3. The drop-off in rim protection and rebounding was immediate. New Zealand scored 48 points in the paint. Chinese Taipei shot 11-of-24 from three-point range, exploiting the gaps in a defense that had no shot-blocker behind it.