Gilas' Narrow Win Over Jordan with Tamayo Injury Concern
Gilas Pilipinas walked out of a thriller with an 82-81 win over Jordan to open the second round of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. They also walked out worried.
In a game that crackled in the final minutes behind the late-game poise of CJ Perez, Kevin Quiambao and Kai Sotto, the only silence in the arena came at the 7:58 mark of the third quarter—when Carl Tamayo went down.
The 6-foot-8 forward landed on the foot of a Jordanian defender, rolled his ankle, and immediately grimaced. No theatrics. Just pain. He got up under his own power but headed straight to the Gilas bench, frustration written all over his face.
He never checked back in.
Up to that point, Tamayo had been carving out a strong night of his own. He finished with eight points, highlighted by a buzzer-beating three to close the first half—one of those momentum shots that jolt a bench to its feet and nudge a tight game in your favor. Gilas needed every bit of that cushion by the time the final buzzer sounded.
The injury, though, hung over the result.
Cone: “It’s a sprained ankle”
Head coach Tim Cone did not sugarcoat the situation after the game.
“Right now, he can walk. But beyond that, it’s swollen. It’s a sprained ankle,” Cone said in the post-game press conference. The staff moved quickly to start treatment, fully aware of how little time they have before the next test.
“We’ll give him the treatment tonight, and tomorrow and we’ll see how he is at that point,” Cone added.
Iran awaits on Sunday, and the clock is already ticking on Tamayo’s availability. At 25, he has become a key stretch option in Cone’s system, a forward who can space the floor and still battle on the interior. Losing that profile, even for a single window game, reshapes the rotation.
Depth on standby
Cone, though, does have a contingency plan.
“In the meantime, we still have RJ and Justin on the list,” he said, referring to RJ Abarrientos and Justin Arana, the final cuts from the current lineup. “Those two guys could fill in for Carl, if necessary. Hopefully, it won’t be necessary.”
Abarrientos brings backcourt creativity and shooting. Arana offers size and interior presence. Neither mirrors Tamayo’s exact blend of length and perimeter touch, but both give Cone flexibility if the medical update goes the wrong way.
For now, Gilas will savor a nerve-jangling win built on Perez’s composure, Quiambao’s versatility, and Sotto’s presence—while quietly waiting to see how quickly that swollen ankle calms down before Iran tests their depth and resolve again.
