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Karl-Anthony Towns got a lot of help from Andres Feliz in the Dominican Republic's stunning 87-82 victory over Italy in their opening 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup game.
Like Towns, Feliz tallied 24 points to lead the Dominican Republic to a huge upset and move closer to the second phase of the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Feliz, who plays for Spanish league powerhouse Joventut Badalona, went 7-for-10 from beyond the arc, sparking the DR's brilliance from the perimeter.
Karl-Anthony Towns spoke to reporters after the game and was full of praise for his teammate:
"He was making shots. He's super hot in the first half. He's still hot in the second. I think we did a good job contributing to this plan. Andres was amazing tonight. I'm super happy for him."
Towns was delighted that the Dominican Republic is close to clinching a spot in the second phase of the FIBA Basketball World Cup with a 2-0 record in Group A.
"I'm super happy for the country. Our country deserves this."
The top two teams in each of Groups A and B will be merged into Group I in the second round, which will determine who makes the quarterfinals.
The Dominican Republic can officially clinch the Top 16 spot if the Philippines beats Angola at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Karl-Anthony Towns was impressive for the Dominican Republic against Italy
Karl-Anthony Towns also played brilliantly against Italy. The Minnesota Timberwolves superstar tallied 24 points alongside 11 rebounds and five assists.
Towns was also decent from long range, going 4-for-9 on threes. In total, the Dominican Republic fired 16 triples, finishing with a 41 percent clip from 22 feet out.
The Dominican Republic can sweep Group A if they beat Angola on Tuesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. They will go into the game as the favorites, and will look to live up to that tag.
It will be interesting to see just how far the DR can go in the World Cup, as they have already shown against Italy, they are certainly capable of an upset.
