In the third round of Group H, Canada defeated Latvia 101:75 and thus secured the first position before the next stage of the FIBA World Cup.
In this match, Latvia could not count on the injured Dairis Bertans, for whom participation in the FIBA World Championship was over.
On a wave of five three-pointers, the Latvians imposed their rhythm from the start, which resulted in a double-digit lead at the end of the first quarter. Luca Banchi’s ship began to sink midway through the second period, when Canada went on a 12-3 run and then turned the score around heading into halftime.
Canada goes undefeated in Group H, charged by another masterful Shai performance. โก๏ธ#FIBAWC x #WinForCanada ๐จ๐ฆ
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 ๐ (@FIBAWC) August 29, 2023
The Latvians put up extremely good resistance for most of the third quarter, even coming close to “half a basket” behind, but the Canadians furiously finished the section, gaining a plus 10 before the decisive period. It didn’t take long for Jordi Fernandez’s team to reach a 20-point advantage in the fourth quarter, which made it clear that the Canadians would record another triumph.
Best Canadian player was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 27 points, while RJ Barrett added 22. For Latvia, Andrjs Grazulis stood out with 16 and Rodions Kurucs with 14 points.
Canada finishes the group stage first with a record of 3-0, while Latvia is right behind with two wins and one loss. France and Lebanon bid farewell to further participation in the FIBA World Championship.