Strong Group faces winless Al Wahda

MANILA, Philippines — Undefeated Strong Group tries to zero in on a group sweep when it takes on Al Wahda of Syria in the 32nd Dubai International Basketball Championship at the Al-Nasr Club Hall.

Tip-off is at 1 a.m. (Manila time) today with the Jacob Lao-owned team wanting no let-up after wins over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national team and Al Nasr of Libya.

Led by ex-NBA players and former PBA imports Shabazz Muhammad and Renaldo Balkman, Strong Group scraped past UAE, 91-87, before trouncing Al Nasr with a wire-to-wire 93-76 win for a solo lead in Group A.

Al Wahda, on the other hand, is winless in two games but coach Charles Tiu is not keen on lowering his team’s guard to dodge a major upset.

“They lost to Al Nasr of Libya but they will have a new and big import for our game. So they’re a different team right now,” said Tiu of the hungry Syrians.

Al Wahda bowed to Al Nasr, 80-66, and Lebanons’ Dynamo, 95-75, making it a must-win game against Strong Group.