Canada won the bronze medal after defeating the USA selection in the match for third place at the FIBA World Cup, with a score of 127:118.
Paolo Banchero, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Ingram didn’t play for Steve Kerr’s team in this game.
There was a lot of speculation about how the USA would approach this match, whether they would be interested in the bronze medal match. At the start of the game, it looked like that was the case, and after six minutes of play, Canada already had a double-digit advantage. In the second quarter, the Americans woke up, and with their 12:2 series, they made this match interesting again.
The USA entered the second half with a two-point deficit, but that deficit quickly grew. Brooks continued to dance in a trance, only for RJ Barrett to get into the groove as well. On the other side, Anthony Edwards slowly “warmed up” in the last 10 minutes with a recognizable one-on-one game. Although they had a double-digit deficit before the last 10 minutes, the Americans easily returned to the match and prepared an uncertain ending.
Brooks was the “first figure” of the Canadians in the final. With his seventh triple and throws for +4, it was certain that he would carry the epithet of the player of the match. However, the incredible outcome on the floor in the last 20 seconds still crowned Bridges as a “hero”.
The Canadians wanted more victory in this match and that was seen in the additional 5 minutes, after which they won the bronze medal. The Americans once again remained without distinction at the World Cup, the last time they climbed the podium in Spain in 2014.
The most effective member of the winning team was Dillon Brooks, who scored an incredible 39 points, and is probably the most deserving of the first medal in Canadian history. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31. On the other side, Edwards was the best with 24 points, while Bridges scored 19.