Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ensured that his FIBA World Cup debut would be memorable by nearly registering a triple-double in Canada’s dominant 95-65 victory.
France on Friday night (August 25) at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The third quarter saw the NBA All-Star seize control of the game.
Canada tightened the screws on France, outscoring them 25-8. Olympic silver medalists in vogue France got a strong start to the game and led 18-14 after the first quarter.
But Canada demonstrated why they are thought of as an outside possibility to win the World Cup by answering with a 29-point second quarter before completely dominating the third.
Although Canada’s offensive prowess (57 percent shooting from the field) was excellent, it was their defensive tenacity that stood out.
All night long, the Road Warriors harassed and badgered France, resulting in 17 turnovers that Canada dutifully turned into 20 points.
The third quarter saw the NBA All-Star seize control of the game (13 points), as Canada clamped down on France and outscored them 25-8.
2023 FIBA World Cup
Olympic silver medalists in vogue France got a strong start to the game and led 18-14 after the first quarter, but Canada demonstrated why they are thought of as an outside possibility to win the World Cup by answering with a 29-point second quarter before completely dominating the third.
Canada’s offensive prowess (57 percent shooting from the field) was excellent, it was their defensive tenacity that stood out.
All night long, the Road Warriors harassed and badgered France, resulting in 17 turnovers that Canada dutifully turned into 20 points.
The other Canadian players who scored in double figures were Kelly Olynyk (18 points), Dillon Brooks (12 points), and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (12 points), but there’s no denying that this was the Shai Show.
The Oklahoma City Thunder guard dazzled the Indonesia Arena crowd with a succession of deft handling and basket finishes, and France had no defence for him.
The 25-year-old responded modestly when asked about his performance in the post-game press conference. “I’m simply glad we prevailed. We came here to win games, and you accept whatever else comes with it.
But even if I had no stats or points,
I would still be please with the victory. Guard Evan Fournier of the New York Knicks led France, who entered the World Cup as one of the favourites to get to the gold medal game in the Philippines.
The 30-year-old scored 21 points on 8 of 19 shots, but in the post-game press conference, he expressed no regrets about the play of his squad.
“We got our asses kicd France now faces a crucial match against Latvia on Sunday (27 August, 20:30 local).
The world No. 5 team will need to put out a much stronger effort if they want to advance to the seco run, but that will be harder said than done.
If Canada defeats Lebanon and France loses to Latvia, they will guarantee their place in the second round. At 16:45 local time on Sunday, August 27, Canada will play The Cedars.
2023 FIBA World Cup
On Friday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded a double-double to help Canada defeat France 95-65 in Group H of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Gilgeous-Alexander opened the group stage of the competition in Jakarta, Indonesia, with a 27 point, 13 rebound, 6 assist, and 2 steal performance. According to TSN Sports’ Keerthika Uthayakumar, he became the first Canadian to score a 20-point double-double in a World Cup debut game for a senior team.
After falling behind 7-0 early on, Canada found its footing and eventually led 43-40 at the break. In the second half, they outscored France 52-25. Kelly Olynyk, the team’s captain, scored 18 points and pulled down four rebounds, while Dillion Brooks and Nickeil Alexander-Walker both scored 12 points.
It was France’s first World Cup defeat of more than 30 points since 1963. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander excelled in Canada’s opening victory at the Each of Nando De Colo and Mathias Lessort contributed 12 points.
Rudy Gobert ended with a total of nine rebounds and eight points. 20-4 in points off turnovers and 12-2 in points on fast breaks, France was outscore. For Canada, nine players scored.
Every Canadian on the squad, including Zach Edey, the only collegiate player, saw the court thanks to the resounding victory. Late in the fourth quarter, Edey and Phil Scrubb were the final two players to enter the contest.
In order to start 2-0 in the group stage
, Canada will play Lebanon (0-1) in its next match on Sunday (5:30 a.m. EDT, ESPN+). Each group’s top two teams advance to the second round.
The 2023 FIBA World Cup got underway on Friday with an eight-game schedule. A few players are already making an impact.
While Patty Mills, Josh Giddey, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shone brightly in the backcourt, big players like. Nikola Vucevic, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jonas Valanciunas played strong to propel their teams to victories.
A closer look at some of the standout players from the games played on August 25 is provided below. NBA players will be on the rosters for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
All-NBA standout the previous season, showed off his whole skill. Canada defeated France 95-65 to win its Group H opener.
With 13 points in the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander went on a scoring display that proved crucial for Canada.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 27 rebounds overall . Canada’s defence held France to 42% shooting and a 6-for-28 performance from outside the arc.
In the FIBA opening, Houston Rockets guard Dillon Brooks and New York Knicks star. RJ Barrett combined for an efficient performance on both ends. RJ Barrett finished with five points on 1-for-10 shooting.
