Canada opened the Men’s World Basketball Championship with a resounding victory on Friday in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wowed Canada with 27 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in a 95-65 win over France, setting the stage for a tournament where Canada’s men hope to win their first major senior medal since 1936 and go for it to qualify for their first Olympics since 2000.
After a tight first half filled with swings in momentum, Gilgeous-Alexander took a 25-8 lead in the third quarter and Canada never looked back.
Now Canada sits at the forefront of a tournament where you can be late early if you let yourself. The win against France, the top-ranked team in Group H and holders of the Olympic silver medal, is not only important for their exit from the group stage, but also a crucial step on the way to the quarter-finals.
There, the top two teams from Group H will be merged with the top two sides from Group G, which is expected to include reigning champions Spain. The records are transferred and the two leaders of the new group advance to the quarter-finals.
Essentially only two of Canada, France and Spain can move on to Manila. That’s why Banking’s victory over France on Friday was particularly important.
Kelly Olynyk, the Canadian captain attending a World Championship for the first time since 2010, contributed 18 points, while Dillon Brooks and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Gilgeous-Alexander’s cousin, each contributed 12 points.
Evan Fournier led France with 21 points.
Canada returns to the court for a game against Lebanon at 5:45 a.m. ET on Sunday.
Myles poet (new window) CBC Sports
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