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The 2023 FIBA World Cup began on Friday, and thus far it has been a delight to watch. On this Sunday in Group H, Canada handily overcame Lebanon, winning 128–73, while Latvia trounced Les Bleus and eliminated them early, putting an end to France’s hopes of winning the gold.
Lebanon, who is currently ranked 43 in the FIBA Men’s World Ranking, made its first appearance in the World Championship since 2010 thanks to strong showings in the Asian Qualifiers.
The Cedars underperformed again after their opening defeat against Latvia’s newcomers, and the Canadian squad gave them a hard lesson. With 17 points, RJ Barrett finished first overall in scoring, while 8 other teammates also scored in double figures.
Bell-Haynes made all six of his 3-point attempts for 15 points while adding 8 assists.
In 16 minutes, Melvin Ejim scored 13 points, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker contributed 12 points, 7 assists, and no turnovers. Kelly Olynyk, who also had 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal, added 12 additional points.
The MVP of the first game against France, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, ended with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in just 17 minutes of action. The team’s tally also included 10 points each from Kyle Alexander and Dillon Brooks.
Omari Rasulala Spellman, a naturalized former NBA player, scored 16 points for Lebanon. Ali Haidar scored 11 points, while Karim Zeinoun added 15 more. The hopes of Lebanon making it to the Round of 16 have been abandoned.
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Group Stage Upsets
Even the most pessimistic people didn’t think the team would advance past the group stage because the challenge was so challenging.
The biggest shock of the day was France’s elimination following its 88-86 loss to Latvia on Sunday evening. The current silver medalists from the Olympics came to the World Cup with the intention of winning the Golden Medals.
Regrettably, Rudy Gobert’s colleagues won’t even advance to the second round after Friday’s 30-point setback to the Canadians because they have already lost twice.
With his 22 points, Arturs Zagars helped Canada and Latvia advance to the second round while putting France in a position where they had to compete for only the 17th spot this year. Latvia overcame a 13-point deficit thanks to Rolands Smits’ 20 points and Davis Bertans’ 15 points.
For the entire game, France outplayed the Latvians, but an unfortunate incident in the midst of the fourth quarter turned everything around.
Nando de Colo, a 36-year-old French playmaker, was dismissed after committing his second unsportsmanlike foul.
The rookies gained the lead for the first time with just 37.7 seconds left on the shot clock, and they held on after Sylvain Francisco of Bayern Munich missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
Next on Tuesday, in a bid to take the lead of the group, Latvia and Canada will square off after securing the group’s two second-round tickets.
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Source: Forbes
