{"id":3468,"date":"2026-09-07T02:49:38","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T02:49:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/philguide.com\/?p=3468"},"modified":"2026-09-07T02:51:05","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T02:51:05","slug":"gilas-pilipinas-backed-by-arenaplus-users-as-kai-sotto-returns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/philguide.com\/blog\/news\/gilas-pilipinas-backed-by-arenaplus-users-as-kai-sotto-returns\/","title":{"rendered":"Even sans Brownlee, Gilas gets ArenaPlus users’ support as Kai Sotto returns in FIBA World Cup Qualifiers"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Kai Sotto and the other locals provided spark as Gilas Pilipinas swept the latest FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers window.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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MANILA, Philippines \u2013 Justin Brownlee may have been missing from the Gilas Pilipinas lineup, but the faith of ArenaPlus<\/a> users in the national team never wavered.<\/p>

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Playing at home without their naturalized star, Gilas swept the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, edging Jordan, 82-81, before beating Iran, 68-56, at the Mall of Asia Arena.<\/p>

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ArenaPlus users backed Gilas to get the job done in both games, with 74.4 percent of the total bet count picking the Philippines to beat Jordan and 71.1 percent backing the team against Iran.<\/p>

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The confidence came despite the absence of Brownlee, who has not played since Gilas’ double-overtime loss to New Zealand in the third window last July 3 because of hamstring and knee issues.<\/p>

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Brownlee has been one of Gilas’ most reliable contributors in the qualifiers, averaging 14.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.<\/p>

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But with their leading offensive weapon on the sidelines, the locals showed they had more than enough firepower to carry the load.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Sotto makes impact in return<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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At the center of it all was Kai Sotto, who made a long-awaited return to the national team after a two-year absence and immediately made his presence felt.<\/p>

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Sotto averaged 15.5 points and 15 rebounds across his first two games back, providing Gilas with a much-needed interior presence as the Philippines continued its push for a World Cup berth. Dwight Ramos was equally steady, averaging 15 points, six rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 steals during the window.<\/p>

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Against Jordan, it was CJ Perez who sparked Gilas’ comeback from a double-digit deficit, pouring in 16 points and five rebounds. Kevin Quiambao added 14 points, five rebounds, and two assists, including a crucial three-pointer that helped Gilas secure the thrilling one-point victory.<\/p>

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The locals delivered again against Iran, with Juan Gomez de Lia\u00f1o making his mark in the come-from-behind victory with 16 points and three rebounds.<\/p>

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The win also carried a little extra weight. Iran had defeated the Philippines in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship final at the same venue, making Gilas’ latest victory over the Iranians a chance to rewrite a piece of history on familiar ground.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Gilas depth works wonders<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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For Ethan William, Head of ArenaPlus, the strong backing for Gilas despite Brownlee’s absence showed the confidence Filipino basketball fans have in the national team’s depth.<\/p>

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“Justin Brownlee has been a huge part of Gilas Pilipinas’ campaign, so it would have been understandable for fans to wonder how the team would respond without him. Instead, we saw ArenaPlus users continue to back Gilas, and the local players delivered<\/em>,” said William.<\/p>

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“Kai Sotto’s return, the consistency of Dwight Ramos, and the big performances from the other locals showed just how much talent this team has. The numbers reflect the confidence of Filipino fans in Gilas and their belief that the team can find a way to win, whoever is on the floor<\/em>.”<\/p>

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Gilas now moves forward with momentum\u2014and perhaps an even greater sense of belief. Brownlee’s absence may have changed the equation, but it didn’t change the expectation.<\/p>

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For ArenaPlus users, the bet on Gilas was still very much worth making.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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About DigiPlus<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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DigiPlus Interactive Corp. pioneered digital entertainment in the Philippines. It introduced the leading platforms BingoPlus and ArenaPlus, widely known for their engaging interactive gaming and sports entertainment experiences. DigiPlus also operates GameZone, with more to come. For more information, visit www.digiplus.com.ph<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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About ArenaPlus<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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ArenaPlus is the #1 PAGCOR-licensed online sportsbook in the Philippines, providing a secure and engaging sports betting<\/a> and streaming experience. Launched in 2023, ArenaPlus features a wide range of local and international sports and continues to expand its presence through key partnerships across major leagues, including the NBA, PBA, and PVL.<\/p>

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ArenaPlus is committed to strengthening the sports community by supporting local athletes, highlighting their dedication and the hard work behind their journeys, and inspiring community pride.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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ArenaPlus is a PAGCOR-licensed sportsbook open to players aged 21 and above. Gambling does not guarantee earnings or financial gains \u2014 always have a game plan and play within your means. If you’d like tools to manage your play, visit ArenaPlus’s Responsible Gaming page, or contact PAGCOR at (02) 8522-0299 \/ www.pagcor.ph\/regulatory\/responsible-gaming.php. Gambling can be addictive \u2014 know when to stop.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANILA, Philippines \u2013 Justin Brownlee may have been missing from the Gilas Pilipinas lineup, but the faith of ArenaPlus users in the national team never wavered. \u00a0 Playing at home without their naturalized star, Gilas swept the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, edging Jordan, 82-81, before beating Iran, 68-56, at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3469,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arenaplus.ph\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arenaplus.ph\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arenaplus.ph\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arenaplus.ph\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arenaplus.ph\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3468"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/arenaplus.ph\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3481,"href":"https:\/\/arenaplus.ph\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3468\/revisions\/3481"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arenaplus.ph\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arenaplus.ph\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arenaplus.ph\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arenaplus.ph\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}