August 8 ------ THE Dominican Republic won't have two of its major pieces when it plays Gilas Pilipinas in the opener of the Fiba Basketball World Cup three weeks from now.
NBA players Al Horford and Chris Duarte won't be joining the team when it travels to Manila for basketball's biggest showcase set to tip off on August 25 at the Philippine Arena.
Basketball Sphere, the leading basketball website in Serbia, was the first to break the news, but no reason was cited on why Horford and Duarte decided to skip the tournament despite being named part of Dominican Republic's pool of players earlier. The 37-year-old Horford is entering the final season of a two-year contract he signed with the Boston Celtics, while Duarte currently plays for the Sacramento Kings after being selected in the first round of the NBA draft in 2021 by the Indiana Pacers.
The absence of the two will have big man Karl Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves as the central focus of the 23rd ranked team's campaign in the quadrennial showcase. Lester Quinones, the NBA G League's Most Improved Player who just signed a two-way contract with Golden State and, along with Portland Trailblazers' Justin Minaya are expected to fill up the post left by Horford and Duarte.
The Dominican Republic, which beat University of Memphis in a tune up game at home, 91-94, behind the 30 points of Quinones (on six three pointers), will face Puerto Rico in a friendly, as well as defending champion Spain, Latvia, and Egypt before going to Manila. Remaining part of the pool are LJ Figueroa, Luis Santos, Antonio Pena, Luis David Montero, Gelvis Solano, Jean Montero, Andres Feliz, Gerardo Suero, Eloy Vargas, Victor Liz, and Rigoberto Mendoza.
Along with the Philippines and Dominican Republic in Group A are Italy and Angola.
Source: spin.ph
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