Gilas Pilipinas was hanging on by a thread in overtime, with Jordan threatening to snatch away a game the Philippines had spent the night clawing back into.
Then Kai Sotto, who hasn’t played for Gilas in nearly two years after suffering an ACL injury, slammed the door shut.
The 7-foot-3 center swatted away Abdullah Olajuwon’s potential game-winning hook shot in the dying seconds, preserving an 82-81 victory for Gilas Friday night before a packed and roaring Mall of Asia Arena.
It was an unlikely finish to a game that began with Gilas looking anything but ready.
Jordan came out firing, raining three-pointers and racing to a 24-8 lead before finishing the first quarter ahead, 28-14. For a while, it looked less like a contest and more like a long evening for the home team.
Then Gilas found its rhythm, and its “puso.”
Playing an all-Filipino lineup for the first time, the Philippines turned up the defensive pressure in the second quarter. Sotto and Kevin Quiambao supplied the fireworks, throwing down dunks that jolted the crowd and helped Gilas win the period, 25-16, cutting Jordan’s lead to 44-39 at halftime.
The comeback gathered steam in the third.
Quiambao intercepted a pass and finished with a dunk that gave Gilas its first lead, 47-46. But Jordan refused to fold. Olajuwon, son of NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon, answered repeatedly to keep the visitors in front, 58-54, entering the fourth.
That was when the game became a test of nerve.
CJ Perez, held scoreless in the first half, suddenly caught fire. He scored all 16 of his points after halftime, attacking the basket with the urgency of a man who had somewhere to be. His hanging layup with 43.7 seconds left tied the game at 72, sending it into overtime.
The extra five minutes had everything except breathing room.
Jordan again looked poised to escape before Quiambao buried a three-pointer with 11.7 seconds remaining, putting Gilas ahead, 82-79. Freddy Ibrahim answered with two free throws, trimming the lead to one.
Then came the moment.
Olajuwon drove toward the basket, only to find Sotto waiting. The towering center rose and swatted the shot away, preserving the 82-81 victory and sending the arena into bedlam.
“I’m very happy we got the win. I’m blessed that I’m back on the national team and play for the country,” Sotto said.
Quiambao finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and two assists.
“Every aspect, we checked the box,” he said. “We will rest tonight, move on, and do our best on Sunday.”
Gilas improved to 3-4, keeping its World Cup hopes alive with five games remaining. Next up is Iran, which lost to New Zealand in overtime.
Jordan arrived at Window 4 with a 5-1 record.
It left with a very Filipino reminder: never count Gilas out while there is still time on the clock.
