LIVE UPDATES: Philippines vs Jordan – 19th Asian Games basketball

MANILA, Philippines – A familiar foe stands in Gilas Pilipinas’ way for an automatic qualification to the quarterfinals in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

The Philippines battles PBA Best Import awardee Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Jordan to wrap up the group stage in the men’s basketball competition at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre on Saturday, September 30.

Both unbeaten with identical 2-0 records, the Filipinos and the Jordanians vie for the top spot in Group C, which merits an outright berth in the quarterfinals.

Hollis-Jefferson will be a marked man after averaging 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3 steals as he looks to keep Jordan unbeaten heading into the last eight.

The former NBA veteran is no stranger to Gilas Pilipinas, being teammates with Calvin Oftana at TNT and facing almost all of the Filipino players in the PBA, most notably Justin Brownlee.

Brownlee fell short of the Best Import plum to Hollis-Jefferson in the Governors’ Cup last season and lost in the PBA finals for the first time as he and Barangay Ginebra succumbed to the Tropang Giga in six games.

This time, Brownlee eyes redemption as he aims to deliver another solid performance after norming 21 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.5 steals in convincing wins over Bahrain and Thailand.

Game time is 5:30 pm. – Rappler.com