Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Leads Canada to Group Stage Sweep with Victory over Latvia
There’s a poise within this Canadian Senior Men’s National Basketball Team. It’s as if they know how good they are and are determined to seize this moment no matter the situation.
For the second time in this FIBA World Cup, the Canadians put themselves in a bind early against a talented European foe. But unlike in years past when talented squads crumbled on the world stage, these Canadians have shown just how special this group truly is, clinching another 101-75 come-from-behind blowout victory over the Latvians to sweep the initial group stage 3-0 with a staggering 111 point differential.
The Canadians looked confounded by Latvia’s off-ball movement early. It wasn’t the typical overpowering style you’ll see from other FIBA competition. Instead, the Latvians whizzed around off the ball, forcing Canada into defensive rotation. When someone was a step slow or missed a closeout, the Latvians made Canada pay.
If the Latvians made offense look easy in the early going, the Canadians were the opposite. Canada shot just 2-for-10 from three-point range and made just four field goals total in the first quarter. The offense's dry spell carried over throughout the better part of the second quarter too as Latvia jumped ahead by as many as 12 on a three-point play by 23-year-old point guard Arturs Žagars.
But just like they did against the French, Canada came storming back. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander found RJ Barrett in transition to cut the lead to seven late in the second. Nickeil Alexander-Walker nailed an off-balance floater through contact to pull Canada within three before a driving layup from Barrett in the dying seconds of the first half gave Canada a one-point lead heading into the break.
It was once again the Gilgeous-Alexander show in the second half. He again single-handedly outscored Canada’s opposition in the third quarter, scoring 16 of his game-high 27 points in the frame. After Latvia cut Canada’s nine-point lead back down to one, the 25-year-old Torontonian got to work, using his herky-jerky dribble moves and lightning-quick first step to beat the Latvians to the rim. In one two-minute sequence, he scored or assisted on 10 straight Canadian points, putting Canada back up by double digits.
Canada never looked back in the fourth quarter. A three-pointer from Phil Scrubb stuck the Canadians to a 17-point lead and the route was on as the Canadians clinched their third straight blowout victory.
Barrett finished the game with 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting while Kelly Olynyk and Alexander-Walker chipped in 15 and 14, points respectively.
Canada will now advance as the top team in Group H alongside the second-seeded Latvians to take on Group G’s top-seeded Spanish squad and the winner of the Brazil- Côte d'Ivoire game on Wednesday.
