A classic duel could be expected in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup when the Philippines and Angola clash in a rematch at the Araneta Coliseum on August 27.

Much is on the line for the Philippines and Angola since both teams are in a perfect position to advance to the second round of the group phase and fuel their respective bids to qualify for the Paris Olympiad next year.

Gilas could be taking on an Angolan team bannered by Atlanta Hawks 6-foot-10, 240-pound big man Bruno Fernando, who suited for the Black Antelopes in the closing windows of the FIBA Africa qualifiers to help secure the World Cup spot for Angola with victories over Cape Verde, Nigeria and Uganda.

The 24-year-old Fernando was a second round draft pick of the Philadelphia 76ers (34th overall) in 2019, played three years previously for University of Maryland in the NCAA, and had a stint with the Boston Celtics in the 2021-2022 NBA season.

Beating the drums for Fernando, who averaged 4.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 11.7 minutes in 31 games he played for the Houston Rockets in the 2022-2023 season before returning to the Hawks roster, are primary Angolan mainstays Childe Dundao, Gerson Goncalves, Gerson Domingos, and Teotonio Do, all of whom played in 12 FIBA Africa qualifier games.

In 2019, during the FIBA World Cup in China, with nothing more at stake than positions in the 17th-32nd classification stage as both teams had already dropped their opening group phase matches against Serbia and Italy, Angola beat Gilas Pilipinas in overtime, 84-81.

Coached then by Yeng Guiao, Gilas roared back from 12 points down early in the fourth quarter behind 6-foot-11 naturalized player Andray Blatche, CJ Perez and RR Pogoy to force overtime 73-all.

But the Angolans kept their nerves behind Gerson Domingos and Carlos Morais, who had a brief pre-season with the Toronto Raptors in 2013, hanging on to pull off the down-the-wire thriller.

Angola wound up at 27th place in the final standings, five rungs higher than the Philippines. (ABS-CBN News)