Philippines in do-or-die vs Iraq

Game today:

(King Abdullah Sports City)

4 p.m. — Philippines vs Iraq

An outright quarterfinal spot goes down the drain after Gilas Pilipinas dropped back-to-back games in a less-than-ideal run in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The Filipinos will now have to go through the backdoor to advance into the next round.

But to do that, Gilas head coach Tim Cone and his crew will need to get past Iraq in a virtual battle for a playoff seat in the final playdate of Group D today at the King Abdullah Sports City.

Gilas slipped to a 0-2 win-loss record, tied with the Iraqis, after an 86-94 defeat to New Zealand early Friday (Manila time).

This turns the Nationals’ 4 p.m. game against an unfamiliar Iraq side into a survival match with the loser packing for an early exit flight from the rich Middle Eastern nation’s second largest city.

Another woeful first half saw Gilas go down by 18 points.

Naturalized player Justin Brownlee rallied the Philippines back into the game and closed in within three with less than four minutes left, only for Gilas to go on a three-minute dry spell that the Tall Blacks capitalized to get away with their second victory.

“We’re disappointed, but the tournament’s not over for us,” a defiant Cone said.

“We have a big game against Iraq coming up and see if we can get into the next round.”

Despite another heartbreak, Gilas displayed an improved game, especially big man June Mar Fajardo with his 11 points and four boards in a rebound performance from a cold two-point outing in an 87-95 loss to Chinese Taipei last Wednesday.

Gilas also had fewer fouls with 15 and lesser turnovers with seven compared to 26 fouls and 16 errors against the Taiwanese.

“We just need to keep battling, keep our heads (up) going forward and don’t sink because of these last two losses,” Cone said.

“We can’t afford that. There’s still more to do, and we’re going to be ready for our next game.”

Gilas is favored to get through the Iraqis, who yielded their first two games with an average losing margin of 24.5 points.

Iraq was blown out by New Zealand 78-100 before getting blasted 60-87 by Chinese Taipei.

Gilas will have to watch out for 6-foot-8 Abdullah Hayder Alibraheemi, who is averaging 13.5 points and seven rebounds per game for Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Kiwis and Taiwanese clash in a battle for an outright quarters spot.

The top teams in the four groups after the round will advance into the quarterfinals, while the second and third-ranked squads square off in the knockout stage for a spot in the Last 8.

If Gilas ends up in No. 3 spot, it will set up a clash against Group C’s second-ranked team, which could either be Jordan or host Saudi Arabia.

Gilas defeated Jordan in a tune-up match last Saturday.