Jakarta –
Tonight at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 there will be a brutal showdown between Canada and Latvia. The two of them will face each other at the Indonesia Arena in a match to determine the winner of Group H.
As you know, there are many local fans in Canada, most of which are NBA fans. Meanwhile, Latvia is getting huge support from thousands of fans coming directly from Latvia.
This game not only put at stake the first place in the group, but also increased the team’s chances of reaching the quarterfinals. This is considering that the 2023 FIBA World Championship uses 2 group stages. In the first round, the top two teams from each group will advance to the second round. Then, advancing to the second round, the four qualifying teams will face opponents from different groups.
In this case, the results of the matches of the first group round will be taken into account in the final calculation to determine the best team of the second group round, eligible for the quarter-finals. This rule forces teams to try their best to win even if they have already been confirmed to advance to the second group round.
Both teams already have the capital of the previous two victories, so both Canada and Latvia will surely enter Group L. They will have to compete with Spain and another team from Group G between Brazil and the Ivory Coast. But today’s victory is the goal of both teams.
Compared to Latvia, Canada is superior, especially since it has 7 NBA players on its team. The team led by Shai Gilgeus-Alexander is ready to pounce on Latvia.
Shai is known to be a reliable Canadian playmaker and scorer. In fact, he is also the best Canadian player in these three statistical categories in his first two games at the Indonesian Arena.
Despite being a quarterback, he grabbed a total of 18 rebounds in two games, offsetting 11 assists. Meanwhile, on points, Shai scored 39 points in 44 minutes of play.
Shai’s best result came when he scored 27 points against France in the first leg. Of the total points, only six points came from three-pointers.
Interestingly, next season Shai will play alongside Latvian forward Davis Bertans for the Oklahoma City Thunder. On July 6, Davis was selected 10th overall in the 2023 NBA draft and traded to the Dallas Mavericks for the 12th pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
“He’s a great shooter. I hope he misses a lot tomorrow (tonight),” Shai said when asked to comment on Davis.
On the other hand, Latvia is hoping that Davis Bertans, the only player on an NBA team, will bring back his teammates in a surprise comeback similar to the one they made during qualifying and their debut at this year’s FIBA World Championship. After defeating the strongest team in France and getting rid of them, the hope for the next surprise is growing.
Davis will be increasingly relied upon for this fight after his older brother’s absence due to a hamstring injury is confirmed. He should be able to score more by helping his teammate stop Canada’s deadly fast break play.
Recorded as a hitter, Davis grabbed seven rebounds in two games. Although he scored 25 points in 41 minutes played, none of them were the result of two-pointers. 21 points came from seven 3-pointers and the remaining four came from free throws.
Watch the video “Reigning Spanish champions ‘Prosto’ aim for FIBA World Cup quarter-finals“
(eng/ega)