Canada’s senior men’s basketball team concluded their most triumphant FIBA World Cup campaign by clinching a dramatic overtime victory against the USA, with a final score of 127-118.
This monumental win not only marked their first-ever triumph over the United States in the FIBA World Cup but also secured Canada’s inaugural medal at a World Cup event.
Heading into the fourth quarter with a 91-82 lead, Canada faced a nail-biting situation as the USA mounted a comeback, outscoring them 14-3 and seizing a 96-94 lead.
With only 4 seconds remaining and trailing by four points, Mikal Bridges made the first free throw and deliberately missed the second, enabling the USA to grab the rebound. Bridges then sunk a contested three-pointer, sending the game into overtime with the score tied at 111.
In the extra period, Canada outscored the USA 16-7 to clinch their first-ever medal at a FIBA World Cup. The Canadians dominated the first quarter, outscoring the USA 34-25, maintained a narrow 58-56 lead at halftime.
Dillon Brooks was the driving force behind Canada’s victory, delivering a scorching and historic all-time performance, amassing an incredible 39 points.
This extraordinary feat break the 69-year-old Canadian single-game record at the FIBA World Cup, previously held by Carl Ridd, who scored 37 points against the Philippines in 1954.
Brooks’ remarkable performance also set a new record for most points by a Canadian against the United States, surpassing Leo Rautins’ 32 points in 1978.
During the first half, Brooks erupted for 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including a perfect 5-for-5 from downtown. He finished the game with an efficient 12-of-18 shooting, adding two more triples in the second half to finish 7-for-8 from beyond the arc and 8-of-10 from the foul line in 42 minutes.
“Just happy, you know, to be able to put this jersey on. I missed a couple of qualifiers and windows, and I’m just happy to be here with my teammates and represent my country, for the Canadians out there,” said Dillon Brooks.
Jordi Fernandez, the team’s coach, expressed his pride in Brooks, stating, “Really proud of Dillon, this is how it looks like when they let Dillon Brooks play, and It’s not just on the defensive end, that he is the best, with Lu (Luguentz Dort) the best perimeter defender in the world cup, and offensively, he has been extremely efficient, It’s not just this game.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rebounded from a lackluster performance in the semi-finals to finish with 31 points, 12 assists, and six rebounds, securing his third double-double of the tournament.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished the tournament with 196 points in eight games, coming up just one point shy of tying Leo Rautins’ Canadian record of 197 set in 1978 across ten games.
RJ Barrett contributed 23 points and seven rebounds, while Kelly Olynyk and Luguentz Dort chipped in with 11 points each.
For the USA, Anthony Edwards led the way with 24 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Austin Reeves added 23 points and five rebounds.
Mikal Bridges finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, and Jalen Brunson contributed 13 points and two assists.
Canada came into the match with a historical record of 0-7 against the United States in FIBA World Cup encounters since 1954. The last time these two teams crossed paths in a FIBA World Cup was back in 1986, a game that ended in a 77-65 victory for the United States.
Canada concludes the 2023 World Cup with a record of 6 wins and 2 losses, securing victories over France, Lebanon, Latvia, Spain, Slovenia, and the United States in a historic bronze-medal performance.
