Jordan Clarkson rues missed chances in Gilas’ close loss to Dominican Republic

Gilas Pilipinas’ Jordan Clarkson during a Fiba World Cup game between Gilas Pilipinas and Dominican Republic. –Marlo Cueto/INQUIRER.net

BOCAUE— Jordan Clarkson thought some of the calls didn’t go Gilas Pilipinas’ way in its 87-81 loss to the Dominican Republic in the Fiba World Cup 2023 opener on Friday evening at Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

The NBA star balled out in his World Cup debut, leading the way for Gilas with 28 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists but he wasn’t able to finish the game after committing his fifth foul with 3:32 left when Gilas was trailing by three, 79-76.

The Utah Jazz guard believes that they had a chance to win but didn’t get the breaks after the Filipinos gave up 28 fouls and played all Filipino when he fouled out against the Dominicans, led by Karl-Anthony Towns’  26 points and 10 rebounds.

“We played well, I think we had a chance to win. Some calls didn’t go our way,” Clarkson told reporters.

NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns of the Dominican Republic during a game against Gilas Pilipinas in the Fiba World Cup at Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

But the naturalized Gilas player was quick to accept the result and vows to bounce back when they take on Angola on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“Part of the game. We’ll come back and try to get the next one,” Clarkson said after shooting 9-of-24 from the field and committing eight turnovers.

“Just keep competing like we did in there. Just fight hard. Like I said, some things didn’t go our way towards the end. We just got to finish well and move on to the next one,” he added.

Despite the loss, Clarkson was honored to play in front of a record-breaking 38,115 crowd that set a new Fiba World Cup attendance record but felt a tinge of regret after falling short.

“It was amazing. Everybody came out to support. Just kind of upset we didn’t come out with the win. Some things didn’t go our way but we fought hard,” he said.