The FIBA World Cup 2023 is underway, and the host country's national squad got a dose of Karl Anthony-Towns on Friday, August 25, at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue Bulacan.
The Minnesota Timberwolves center was visibly trying to adjust to the international basketball brand of play. Regardless, this did not stop him from pouring in a game-high 26 points along with 10 rebounds for the Dominican Republic, who won over the Philippines, 87-81.
Making it harder for Towns was 6-foot-10 Filipino AJ Edu, the Filipino tasked to contain the three-time All-Star.
After their win, KAT praised the young Filipino cager, welcoming the challenge since it would help him become a better basketball player, PTV Sports Philippines reported.
"He's a fantastic player, he's an ultra competitor. I love the competition he brought tonight, it makes me better," the 27-year-old NBA star stated.
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Aside from that, Towns also hailed the Filipinos for their culture and hard work - a reason why he was hardly surprised that the Philippines gave his team a scare for three-fourths of the game.
"You know, Filipinos are a culture that don't give up and they played hard, as I expect. The culture is nothing but a hard-working people," Towns quipped.
The Filipinos were in the thick of things for most of the game, with Fil-American Jordan Clarkson and local behemoth June Mar Fajardo keeping the Dominican Republic at bay.
However, things swayed in favor of the Dominicans when the Utah Jazz star fouled out with still more than three minutes left in the contest in the Group A opener in front of a massive crowd of 38,115 spectators.
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