Philippine Jordan Justin Brownlee (36, 195 cm) led the team to victory over Hong Kong in his comeback game.

The Philippine men's national basketball team defeated Hong Kong 94-64 on Wednesday at the Kwun Yen Wan Stadium in Hong Kong in a Window 1 Group B matchup in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.

Naturalized player Brownlee was the star of the victory. Brownlee was a force on both ends of the floor with 16 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 27 minutes and 21 seconds of action. He was 6 of 12 from the field, including 2 of 3 from three-point range.

It's been about four months since Brownlee has played in an official game. He shocked the Filipino public last year when he tested positive for doping after a game against Jordan in the final of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. Carboxy-THC is a substance found in cannabis that was detected in Brownlee's system. Fortunately, carboxy-THC was found to be unrelated to performance-enhancing drugs. Furthermore, cannabis is legal in some parts of the United States.

However, due to the positive doping test, FIBA suspended Brownlee for three months. Brownlee's suspension began on November 9 last year, during which time he remained in the United States. His suspension prevented him from playing for his home team, Barangay Hinebra. After completing his three-month 안전놀이터 suspension, he rejoined the Philippine men's national basketball team and played his first game in a long time against Hong Kong.

The underdogs were unable to stop Brownlee, who hit mid-range shot after mid-range shot, scored on a breakaway layup, and set up teammates with his wide-open vision. When he got a chance from the perimeter, he drained a three-pointer. The Philippines jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, extending their lead in each quarter to secure the win.

In addition to Brownlee, Kai Soto (13 points, 15 rebounds) and Kevin Quiambao (15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists) led the way in the win. With their first win, the Philippines moved to the top of Group B.

Meanwhile, in an earlier Group C game, Japan defeated Guam 77-56. Yuki Kawamura (15 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists), Makoto Hiejima (12 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists), and Josh Harrelson (11 points, 21 rebounds) were the standout performers.

Elsewhere, China cruised to a 31-point (80-49) victory over Mongolia, while New Zealand defeated Chinese Taipei 89-69. Thailand also registered its first win, beating Indonesia 73-56.