Dribbling past halfcourt, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had the ball snatched from him, giving Serbia the easy transition layup to start the fourth quarter.
The play exemplified the night Canada had. The best FIBA player struggled to get the ball past halfcourt in a must-win quarter.
Canada — and Gilgeous-Alexander — struggled in its 95-86 elimination loss to Serbia. The loss knocked Canada out of the 2023 FIBA World Cup tournament as it finished a win shy of the final.
Serbia set the tone early; it led Canada 23-15 following the first quarter. The lead grew to 52-39 at halftime. Canada managed to cut only one point from its halftime deficit in the third quarter before a 7-2 run by Serbia in the opening two minutes of the fourth quarter put this one out of reach.
The Oklahoma City Thunder duo were quiet in Canada’s loss. They combined for 18 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Outside of a few second-half spurts, Gilgeous-Alexander was held in check by Serbia.
In 34 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander had 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting, nine assists and two rebounds. He also went 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. He struggled with fouls in the first half with three calls that went against him in the opening two quarters.
Dort played 19 minutes off the bench in the loss as he scored three points on 1-of-4 shooting and grabbed three rebounds. Much like Gilgeous-Alexander, he also struggled to avoid foul trouble with four fouls.
Serbia — who are without two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and Thunder teammates Aleksej Pokusevski and Vasilije Micic — has a chance to further strengthen its stance as an international powerhouse.
The loss ends Canada’s FIBA World Cup run. It will play for the bronze medal on Sunday, Sept. 10 against the loser of the United States vs. Germany matchup.
Let’s look at instant reactions and highlights from Canada’s nine-point loss.