FIBA World Cup 2023: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander inspires Canada to massive 95-65 win over France
Gilgeous-Alexander (27 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists) was unstoppable as Canada opened their World Cup campaign with an impressive victory over Les Bleus.
Basketball
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made sure his FIBA World Cup debut was a memorable one after recording a near triple-double in Canada's convincing 95-65 win over France at the 2023 FIBA World Cup on Friday night (25 August).
The NBA All-Star took control of the contest in the third quarter (13 points) as Canada put the clamps on France, outscoring them 25-8 in the period.
Reigning Olympic silver medallists France had a promising start to the game and led 18-14 after the first quarter, but Canada showed why they are considered to be an outside contender to win the World Cup as they responded with a 29-point second quarter before blowing the contest open in the third.
As impressive as Canada's offensive firepower was (57 percent shooting from the field), it was their defensive ferocity that caught the eye. The Road Warriors harried and harrased France all night, forcing them into 17 turnovers which Canada duly converted into 20 points.
Kelly Olynyk (18 points), Dillon Brooks (12 points) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (12 points) were the other players who hit double figures for Canada, but make no mistake - this was the Shai Show.
France had no answer for the Oklahoma City Thunder guard, who dazzled the crowd inside the Indonesia Arena with a series of slick handles and finishes at the rim. When asked about his performance in the post game press conference, the 25-year-old offered a humble response.
"I'm just happy we won. That's what we came here to do, to win games, and whatever comes with it you take. But if I had zero points and zero [stats] I'd be just as happy [with the win].
We played really good basketball today, we did the right things on both parts of the court for most of the game. We know that when we do that and play to our identity we can beat anyone in the world.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defends Evan Fournier during Canada's FIBA World Cup game against France.
France, who were considered to be among the favourites to reach the gold medal game in the Philippines coming into the World Cup, were led by New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier.
The 30-year-old had 21 points on 8 of 19 shooting, but made no qualms about his team's performance in the post-game press conference.
France now face a pivotal game against Latvia on Sunday (27 August, 20:30 local); the world No. 5 side will have to put in a far stronger effort if they want to progress to the second round, though that will be easier said than done after Latvia's dominant 109-70 win over Lebanon.
Canada, meanwhile, can gurantee their passage into the second round if they beat Lebanon and France loses to Latvia. Canada play The Cedars on Sunday 27 August at 16:45 local.