Latest on Knicks at FIBA World Cup: RJ Barrett's clutch shot secures bronze for Canada; USA fails to medal

Here's the latest updates on current Knicks playing in the 2023 FIBA World Cup...

Sept. 10, 11:25 a.m.

RJ Barrett scored 23 points and added seven rebounds as Canada earned a bronze metal with a 127-118 overtime win over the USA National Team. 

With less than a minute to go in overtime and the US trailing by six, Barrett knocked down a clutch three-pointer from the top of the key to ice the game, sending the US team home without a medal.

On the US side, Jalen Brunson finished with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, Josh Hart had 10 points, and Brooklyn's Mikal Bridges had 19 points and nine boards in the losing effort.

Sept. 3, 12:55 p.m.

Canada overcame a 10-point first-half deficit to score a fourth-quarter comeback win over Spain, 88-85, in the second round of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup on Sunday.

The Knicks' RJ Barrett had 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting (2-for-6 from three-point range) and added five rebounds and one assist.

However, despite making both his free throws after struggling from the line earlier in the tournament, Barrett committed five fouls and had four turnovers. He finished a plus-9 in 32 minutes of action.

Ex-Knick Willy Hernangomez had 25 points, six rebounds, and three assists in 25 minutes of action for Spain.

The Canadians will take on Slovenia on Wednesday, Sept. 6 with the winner playing the winner of Lithuania and Serbia.

Sept. 3, 11:10 a.m.

The U.S. tasted defeat for the first time at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, falling 110-104 to Lithuania on Sunday in the second round of Group J play.

Jalen Brunson had 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting (1-for-3 from behind the arc) with four rebounds, seven assists and a steal. He finished with a plus-minus of plus-4 in 23 minutes.

He started alongside fellow Knicks guard Josh Hart who went 0-for-1 from the field with two rebounds and a plus-minus of minus-2 in 13 minutes.

Rokas Jokubaitis, who was drafted by the Knicks with the 34th overall pick (Second Round) in 2021, had nine points on 3-for-8 shooting (1-for-2 from three) with three rebounds and six assists. The 22-year-old plays professionally in Spain with FC Barcelona, added a steal and was a plus-8 in 23 minutes.

The Americans clinched a spot in the Paris Olympics and will face Italy in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Sept. 5. The winner of that game will face off against the winner of Germany and Latvia.

Aug. 29, 11:45 a.m.

RJ Barrett continued his good run of form in Canada's 101-75 win over Latvia at the FIBA World Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia to win Group H and conclude the opening round of action.

Against Latvia, who are playing without former Knick Kristaps Porzingis, the current Knicks guard scored 22 on 9-for-14 shooting while going 4-for-6 from beyond the arc.

Barrett added five rebounds and one assist in 30 minutes of game time and finished with a plus-minus of 19. One down note, he went 0-for-4 from the free throw line.

“Last couple games have been a lot better for me. Just trying to continue to do that. I gotta make some free throws though,” he said after the game.

Barrett and the Canadians will be back in action Friday, Sept. 1 at 9:30 a.m. ET and play the second-place finisher of Group G, which likely be the winner of Brazil vs. the Ivory Coast.

Aug, 27, 10:00 a.m.

RJ Barrett carried Team Canada to a 128-73 win over Lebanon on Sunday, helping them advance to the second round of the World Cup for the first time since 2002.

After a bit of a quiet performance in the opener, the Knicks' forward put up a game-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from behind the arc.

Barrett added a rebound, three assists, and a steal on the day and finished as a +32 as he continued to shine early on in the FIBA Tournament.

Canada will have a chance to win Group H when they take on the other unbeaten team in the group, Latvia, on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.

Aug. 26, 10:45 p.m.

After strong showings in their warmup matches, Jalen Brunson and Team USA opened Group C play with a commanding 99-72 win over New Zealand on Saturday morning.

The Americans got off to a bit of a slow start and found themselves leading by just single digits heading into the break. They took over in the second half, led by leading scorer Paulo Banchero off the bench, and held on for the win.

Brunson had a relatively quiet day, dropping just ten points on 3-of-6 shooting including a corner three early in the third quarter. The point guard also reeled in four rebounds, dished out four assists, and recorded four steals in the opener.

“It was a good first step for us,” Brunson said in a video on Team USA’s Twitter postgame. “Started out a little slow, but we fought. Came back with a little energy and put them away in the second half.”

Josh Hart saw some time off the bench but was also relatively quiet recording just five points. He made his biggest impact doing what he does best, hauling four rebounds and was a team-high +28 in 15 minutes.

The U.S. will be back in action Monday morning at 8:40 a.m. as they take on Greece, who opened with a victory of their own over Jordan.

Aug. 25, 11:15 a.m.

Team Canada took down the No. 3 team in the country, Team France, in dominating fashion 95-65 in their World Cup opening matchup on Friday morning.

After an extremely strong showing in the exhibition matches, RJ Barrett was relatively quiet for the Canadiens in the opener.

He struggled to get his shot to fall, finishing with just five points on 1-of-10 shooting. Barrett did fill the stat sheet in other departments, though, pulling in six rebounds and dishing out five assists.

While France was blown out, Evan Fournier didn’t enjoy himself a nice day on the court. Heading into the halftime break, he kept his team in the game with a game-high 19 points in the first half.

France collapsed in the second-half, though, and he added just two more points to finish with 21 in a game-high 33 minutes of action.