Mike Phillips provided a silver lining in Gilas Pilipinas’ severe beating at the hands of Australia.

Living up to his moniker, Philipps played like a well-oiled machine in a losing effort for the Philippines against the Boomers, 49-92, in the third window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier on Monday at the RAC Arena in Perth.

The De La Salle University product was a spark plug off the bench and played with high energy throughout the lopsided match against the world No. 6 host squad.

“Yeah, he was one of the bright lights for us tonight. He was doing great, especially in the first half. He was rebounding the heck out of the ball and just playing,” Cone said of his young forward.

“His nickname is “Motor Mike,” and there’s a reason for that. He plays with such tremendous motor. He’s all over the floor,” he added.

Phillips grabbed 14 rebounds and contributed on the offensive end with six points in over 24 minutes of playing time.

The 6-foot-8 Phillips, who appeared in his first FIBA-sanctioned tournament, averaged 4.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in the second-round-bound Gilas’ road campaign.

He did his job despite playing hurt.

“As you know, he got hurt in one of our friendlies coming into this game, so he was playing with a gimpy ankle. Then he got hit by cramps late in the game, so we couldn’t keep him on the floor,” Cone said of the two-time University Athletic Association of the Philippines champion.

Cone sees Phillips turning into a vital cog in the Gilas program along with other youngbloods.

“But he’s a young guy, and he plays with so much enthusiasm. It’s very infectious. Tonight, it was less visible because of the score, but I think that’s something our fans are really going to appreciate moving forward — watching him play with that kind of effort and seeing the other guys get infected by it and continue to play,” Cone said.

“Yeah, he was really a bright spot for us.”