Canada upsets No. 1 team Spain ahead of Basketball World Cup
Team Canada is looking strong ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, which begins next week in Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Despite being without Jamal Murray, Canada has rattled off three straight wins in exhibition play, including an upset win over World No. 1 Spain today.
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Canada beat Spain on their home court in Granada, 85-80 in overtime. They also beat Germany on Sunday and New Zealand on Saturday.
The Canadians were led by their NBA talent, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (22), RJ Barrett (18), Dwight Powell (12), and Kelly Olynyk (11) all finishing double digits in points.
Gilgeous-Alexander also added eight rebounds and three assists. Olynyk had six assists, five rebounds, and three blocked shots, while Powell had a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Former Toronto Raptors forward Juancho Hernangomez led Spain scorers with 12 points, while Usman Garuba added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at Half vs Spain
14 points
4 rebounds
1 assist
5/9 shootingCanada down 4
— TF (@ThunderFocus) August 17, 2023
“It was good,” Barrett said. “They’re a really well-coached team. They played extremely hard. It was a good test for us. Another great team win. They’re [ranked] No. 1 in the world for a reason. It felt good to come in here and get a win.”
“So far, he’s made my life so easy,” Team Canada head coach Jordi Fernández said of Barrett. “I don’t have to call much for him. Here and there I do give him a play, but he just finds everything within the offence and that’s extremely valuable. I’m very happy with RJ and his performance so far.”
Canada’s final tuneup game is Friday against the Dominican Republic, also in Granada.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup begins Friday, August 25.
Canada plays France (August 25), Lebanon (August 27), and Latvia (August 29), with all games taking place in Jakarta.
At the last World Cup in 2019, Canada finished a disappointing 21st place, but was without most of its top players. They’re much more well suited to place better this time around, particularly with Gilgeous-Alexander and Barrett on the roster.
Past results have proven that a talented roster doesn’t necessarily lead to success for Canada in men’s basketball. The national team is looking to put past disappointments behind them, as they can qualify for the Olympics with a top-two finish among teams from the Americas in this tournament.
Canada hasn’t participated in the Olympics in men’s basketball since 2000, when Steve Nash was one of just two NBA players on the roster.
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