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2023 FIBA World Cup: Canada suffers upset in 69-65 loss to Brazil

Clemente Almanza
·5 min read

This time around, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander couldn’t don the cape and help Canada avoid the upset as it suffered its first defeat of the 2023 FIBA World Cup in a surprising 69-65 loss to Brazil.

The loss drops Canada’s group record to 3-1.

Brazil completed the shocking win due to its ability to slow down the game and force Canada to play an ugly brand of basketball en route to its worst offensive performance yet.

Canada shot an icy 33.3% from the field and 8-of-30 (26.6%) from 3. It failed to break 20 points in three of the four quarters — including just 13 points in both the first and fourth quarters.

The Oklahoma City Thunder duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort combined to score 40 of Canada’s 65 points in the loss.

Gilgeous-Alexander had his worst performance yet in the international tournament. In 34 minutes, he finished with 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting, five rebounds and two assists. He also went 5-of-5 from the free-throw line and 2-of-7 from 3.

After missing the previous two games dealing with soreness, Dort returned with a bang. In 25 minutes off the bench, he had 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting and five rebounds. The outside shot fell for him as he went 3-of-7 from 3.

This is a disappointing loss for Canada, who entered the game as favorites to extend its record to a perfect 4-0. Now, they’ll need to win in its final group game against Spain on Sunday, Sept. 4 to qualify for the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals.

Let’s look at instant reactions and highlights from Canada’s four-point loss.

https://twitter.com/ThunderFocus/status/1697609946387624039?s=20

https://twitter.com/ThunderFilmRoom/status/1697627538497945957?s=20

Story originally appeared on Thunder Wire