Raymar Jose of the Philippines pulls down the rebound during their match against Thailand in the men's basketball competition of the 29th Southeast Games late Sunday at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. The Filipinos won, 81-74.

Despite actually picking up the win, Gilas Pilipinas didn't exactly impress in its opening game for the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.

In fact, the national team didn't put away pesky Thailand until the final two minutes. The Philippines was even down by two points late in the game.

However, Gilas Pilipinas is set up for a perfect  bounce back effort in Kuala Lumpur as the 11-time defending champions take on lowly Myanmar for their second Group A matchup.

While the current lineup is not as strong on paper compared to the one that played in the SEABA Championships, Gilas should have no problem handling the Burmese and move to 2-0 in the biennial meet.

The last time both country's met, a full-strength Philippine national team scored a smashing 107-point victory.

Gilas Pilipinas, who will welcome Carl Bryan Cruz from the FIBA-Asia Cup, takes court vs. Myanmar at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday.

 

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