Canada, 101 – Latvia, 75
Canada finished the first round of the 2023 Basketball World Cup undefeated on Tuesday and as top of Group H after hard-fought 101-75 win over Latvia in which Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shone again, with 27 points. Despite the loss, Latvia also qualified for the second round of the World Cup. Canada and Latvia will now meet the top two teams in Group G in which Spain are already seeded and it remains to be seen who will fill the other spot, Brazil or Ivory Coast.
This is the first time that Canada has completed the first round of a World Cup as group leader and undefeated. Gilgeous-Alexander is also the first player to total more than 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in all first-round games in the competition.
Canada, who toppled France by hand in their opener and then crushed Lebanon, had to work to win against Latvia. He came out cold on the pitch. Without defensive intensity, the Latvian shooters took advantage of the passivity of the Americans. The triples of Arturs Zagars, Rodions Kurucs and Arturs Kurucs within the first two minutes they made it 5-9 which forced Canadian coach, Spaniard Jordi Fernández, to call off his first timeout.
The Canadians also lacked offensive pace and long-range shots from Dillon Brooks and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed the target, allowing the Latvians to go 12-23 with 1.23 left in the first quarter. . After the end of the first 10 minutes, Fernández, who took charge of the Canadian team at the end of June, caused a strong argument with his players. The Catalan warned them that after a first quarter in which they didn’t fully utilize themselves, “now it’s time to work“.
Early in the second period, Canada and Latvia were imprecise. In the first two minutes, both teams scored only two points each. The Latvians, although they could no longer shoot from three points so comfortably, maintained their 10-point lead on the scoreboard without too much difficulty. With 5”38 remaining, the score was 20-30 in favor of the Latvians. The advantage of the Europeans reaches 12 points, 23-35.
But in the final four minutes, the Canadians staged a Gilgeous-Alexander-led comeback that put them in front late in the first half. A triple from the Canadian point guard kicked off a 20-7 streak that also featured RJ Barrett, Kelly Olynyk, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dwight Powell. When the two teams returned to the locker room at halftime, Canada was leading by one point, 43-42.
After the break, Gilgeous-Alexander took over. NBA point guard Oklahoma City Thunder scored 16 of Canada’s 24 points in the third quarter, including two of three 3-pointers. Fernández’s team learned the lesson of the first quarter. In the third, the North American team, which has seven NBA players, came out ready to strike first. And the Canadians delivered what Fernández demanded with a 10-0 streak that left the score at 53-44 after four minutes.
Latvia reacted after Canada’s first shoot-off with baskets from Andrejs Grazulis and Rodions Kurucs. the best Latvians of the time. The effort paid off and the Latvian side were three points down, 55-52 with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander came back to speed up his side who, within four minutes, recorded a 22-5 scoreline that smashed the Latvians’ bottom. The third act ended with 67-57.
In the fourth quarter, the Latvians thought Canada would eventually take the lead. During the period, the Latvian team settled for 18 points while the relaxed Canadians scored another 18 to end the match 101-75, up 26 points.
Germany, 101 – Finland, 75
Germany finished the first phase as leaders of Group E with comprehensive victories by beating Finland on Tuesday by a crushing 101-75, which means goodbye to the World Cup with three defeats in three games.
The clash was leveled only in the first quarter, since the Teutons broke it in the second quarter and in the second half of the game they showed some of their potential not to give options to a Finland in which they were once again below the expected level. star, Lauri Markkanen.
Both teams struggled to enter the match (3-2, m.4) being erratic and imprecise, especially the Germans, at the start. The Teutonic side did some damage in the first quarter with their powerful inside game, although Franz Wagner was sidelined with ankle problems after also missing the final game against Australia.
The awakening of Finland in attack made the Nordiques take the lead (12-16, m.7) and they no longer gave up control throughout the first quarter which ended 19-22.
Germany increased their defensive intensity in the second half and found different ways to score than usual to turn things around against Finland denied in attack with a spectacular 16-2 run (37-27, m .15). Finland’s zonal defenses halted Germany’s escape, although they couldn’t prevent Dennis Shroeder’s wake-up call (13 points in the first half) which saw the Central Europeans arrive with eight units rented at halftime (47-39).
Isaac Bonga took over in Germany in the third quarter, with eight straight points to start coming out of the clash (55-39, m.23). Finland’s improved three-point shot was not enough to bring the Nordics closer on the scoreboard (68-48, m.26) as Germany continued to score very easily and tackled the last quarter with a totally controlled match (76-55). .
The last ten minutes allowed Germany to further increase their lead (87-60, m.35) against a very unfortunate Finland and both teams to close the first phase by giving more minutes to their less usual players .
Lebanon, 79 – France, 85
Olympic runners-up France ended their bitter spell at the 2023 Basketball World Cup today with a long 79-85 win over Lebanon, dropping bottom of the Group H standings with ” Les Bleus” in third place and the Lebanese. team as bottom team.
The French team, European vice-champions and third in the 2019 World Cup, now have the painful task of playing to finish the tournament in seventeenth position as their highest aspiration.
The two teams entered the field at the Indonesia Arena in Jakarta already eliminated, having lost their respective matches against Canada and Latvia, who will later settle first and second place in the table and the loser will have to face the Spain in the round of 16. .
With its three pivots -Rudy Gobert, Moustapha Fall and Mathias Lessort- absent for this match, France suffered for most of the match and even reached the last quarter late on the scoreboard, against Lebanon who with a great Wael Arakji showed more ambition. than the Gauls.
But France managed to win in the end, avoiding the humiliation of returning home with four defeats.
Arakji, with 29 points, 3 rebounds and four assists, spearheaded Lebanon; while Guerschon Yabusele (18 points, 3 rebounds and an assist) and Evan Fournier (17 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists) left the best squads in the France team, as well as a notable Nicolas Batum (12 points, 3 rebounds and 4 passes). aids).
Vincent Collet’s side started out as one of the tournament favourites, even though they entered the World Cup without their big and promising star Victor Wembanyama – who was ruled out to save himself physically for his NBA debut – nor Thomas Heurtel, suspended from the national team. for signing with a Russian club.
Angola, 67 – Dominican Republic, 75
Egypt, 100 – Mexico, 72
Australia, 109 – Japan, 89
Philippines, 83 – Italy, 90
Montenegro, 71 – Lithuania, 91
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