NBA First Guard Dignity advances to the finals as No. 1 in Canada’s group
Shy Gilzers-Alexander (25, Oklahoma City Thunder) led his country Canada to the finals.
Canada beat Latvia by 101-75 and 26 points in Group H match of the 2023 FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup at Indonesia Arena in Jakarta, Indonesia, on the 29th.
The most brilliant player in Canada was definitely Gilzers-Alexander. He also scored 27 points and 13 rebounds in the first group match against France, and helped Canada win the match against Latvia with 27 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and a 58.8% (10/17) success rate.
Apart from the score difference, Canada struggled in the first half. Latvia succeeded in widening the score to 11 points in the second quarter based on organized movements and solidity in the center lineup. In particular, guard Artus Zagares, forward Rodions Kurux, and Andreas Grazoulis showed good performance.
But Gilgers-Alexander started dancing on the court. He led Canada’s chase with RJ Barrett, who finished with a quick-attack dunk after a still following a pressure defense. In the end, Barrett’s buzzer beater layup went in just before the end of the first half, leading to a 43-42 turnaround.
Even early in the third quarter, Gilgers-Alexander, along with Barrett, quickly gave Canada a 53-44 nine-point lead, and Canada, which did not give up the lead despite Latvia’s last counterattack, produced runs from Kelly Olinick and Nikil Alexander-Walker. Latvia, which has since found no flow of counterattacks, exposed its discharged appearance throughout the fourth quarter.
Barrett, who showed no mercy in the fourth quarter when the game was decided, scored 22 wins and 5 rebounds on the day, Olinic scored 15 points and Alexander-Walker also scored 14 points in double digits.
Gilzus Alexander, who scored 16 points in the third quarter alone, blamed himself for the sluggish first quarter in an interview after the game, saying, “I didn’t start the way I needed it and the way the team needed me.”
“My strength is the energy level that can run both ends of the court,” he said. “I tried to get better from the moment I looked back on myself.” “Focusing on that created an atmosphere in which the flow changed,” he said, explaining his great performance in the third quarter 먹튀사이트
Meanwhile, Canada, which has won the group stage, will play the winner in the round of 16 against Brazil in the Ivory Coast match. Latvia encounters defending champion Spain