MANILA, Philippines – As hope wanes for Gilas Pilipinas following a crushing second-game loss to Angola in the ongoing 2023 FIBA World Cup, other countries start to pick up steam in their respective campaigns, seeing clearer paths to the second round and beyond.

USA Basketball is once again in the spotlight at the Mall of Asia Arena this Monday, August 28, as other nations warily look on – trying to find holes in the championship contender’s formidable armor.

MALL OF ASIA ARENA

New Zealand vs Jordan

New Zealand tries to brush off its World Cup opener loss to USA with a bounce-back effort against Jordan, as the two winless Group C teams try to stave off elimination to kick off the two-game MOA Arena slate at 4:45 pm.

The likes of Reuben Te Rangi and Flynn Delaney are expected to again pace the balanced Tall Blacks, while former PBA import Rondae-Hollis Jefferson will once again be a literal driving force for the Falcons with support from Ahmad Dwairi and Freddy Ibrahim.

Greece vs USA

Greece will certainly miss two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo a little bit harder on Monday night as it faces USA Basketball at the 8:40 pm main event.

Giannis’ older brother Thanasis and the likes of Kostas Papanikolaou and Giorgios Papagiannis will have their hands full trying to contain the all-NBA American squad, which is led by crowd favorite Austin Reaves and former No. 1 picks Paolo Banchero and Anthony Edwards.

SMART ARANETA COLISEUM

China vs South Sudan

Victims of varied styles of losses in their opening World Cup matches, South Sudan and China are set to vent ire on each other by 4 pm at the Araneta Coliseum.

After a heartbreaking overtime loss to Puerto Rico in their first-ever World Cup game, super scorer Carlik Jones and NBA player Wenyen Gabriel are tasked to spark the rally past the hurting Chinese, who are led by seething NBA starter Kyle Anderson coming off a horrific scoreless debut against mighty Serbia.

Puerto Rico vs Serbia

World No. 6 Serbia looks to keep its momentum high after a 42-point whipping of China with another dominant showing against No. 20 Puerto Rico at 8 pm.

NBA players Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nikola Jovic are bound to keep going amid a well-balanced Serbian system, while ex-NBA role player Tremont Waters will likely carry another heavy offensive load for the Puerto Ricans after a 43-minute marathon against South Sudan.

Please refresh this page for live updates. – Rappler.com