A stunning victory by 24 points! The knockout stage has officially begun! The Chinese men's basketball team is the second favorite to win the championship.

In the first match of the knockout stage of this year's Asian Cup quarterfinals, Australia defeated the Philippines 84-60, winning by 24 points and advancing to the semifinals effortlessly, now awaiting the winner of the match between Iran and Chinese Taipei.

In this game, all Australian players were on the court, with all five starters scoring in double digits, and the team grabbed a total of 51 rebounds, including 15 offensive boards, showcasing their physical dominance on the Asian stage.

On the Philippine side, only three players scored in double digits, with naturalized player Brownlee nearly invisible, playing nearly 34 minutes, attempting only 7 shots for 10 points along with 3 rebounds and 4 assists, recording the lowest plus-minus of -23 in the game, struggling to make an impact against Australia's solid defense.

According to the latest championship odds, Australia ranks first and stands alone, while the Chinese men's basketball team is in second place, and New Zealand is third. Lebanon is fourth, Iran fifth, South Korea sixth, Chinese Taipei seventh, and the Philippines at the bottom has already been eliminated.

The Chinese men's basketball team has earned respect through their performance in the group stage, becoming this year's Asian Cup championship favorite after Australia. If they can defeat South Korea and smoothly reach the semifinals, they will face the winner of the match between New Zealand and Lebanon. Overall, before the finals, the Chinese men's basketball team will not encounter Australia, which is good news.

Historically in the Asian Cup, the Chinese men's basketball team has a record of 15 wins and 5 losses against South Korea, giving them a significant psychological advantage. The last encounter was during the group stage of the 2022 Asian Cup, where we lost 81-93.

South Korea aims to extend their winning streak against the Chinese men's basketball team in this year's Asian Cup. Their head coach, An Jun-ho, stated that the team's morale is at an unprecedented high, planning to employ aggressive defense, control possession, and utilize speed for fast-break opportunities.

On the Chinese men's basketball team's side, they are quietly preparing for the upcoming battle against South Korea without saying much. The last game they played was on the 9th of this month, the final group stage match against Jordan, meaning they have had at least 4 days of rest before the quarterfinals to recover their stamina. The concern is that too much rest could hinder their ability to quickly get back into form.

Every match in the knockout stage is crucial because a loss means going home to fish. What more can be said? Let's cheer for the Chinese men's basketball team!