In the times resulting in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns was touted to be the chief for the Dominican Republic as he made a return to the nationwide workforce for the primary time in 10 years.
And he did not disappoint in his comeback, imposing his will as he dropped a team-high 26 factors alongside 10 rebounds because the Dominicans pulled off an 87-81 win in opposition to the hometown workforce, Gilas Pilipinas.
But his dominant efficiency did not come and not using a problem. In this case, it got here within the type of younger AJ Edu — Gilas’ 23-year-old, 6-foot-10 large man who was assigned to defend him for essentially the most a part of the sport.
The Minnesota Timberwolves star stated Edu undoubtedly made the sport troublesome for him and complimented the way in which the Filipino pushed him.
“I think he’s a fantastic player, an ultra competitor,” Towns stated.
“Love the competition he brought tonight. He makes me better and Filipinos have a culture that doesn’t give up and they played hard.”
Edu was environment friendly for Gilas as he scored seven factors on good 3-of-3 taking pictures share together with 5 boards.
He was additionally liable for making an attempt to decelerate Towns, who missed 11 of his makes an attempt from the sector to complete with simply 31-percent taking pictures.
The Dominican Republic large man, although, made up for it from the free throw line, the place he knocked down 15 out of his 16 makes an attempt.
“Everyone on their team is just hardworking. They really played hard so shout out to them. That’s that culture, that’s the Filipino culture — just hard work,” Towns added.
“I really respect everyone and respect the opportunity to get the chance to compete against them.”
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
