Tag: 2023 FIBA World Cup

2023 FIBA World Cup: How to watch OKC Thunder players for Aug. 25 group games

Broadcast info for the Aug. 25 group games of Canada, Australia and Latvia:

The 2023 FIBA World Cup is set to kick off on Aug. 25 with group play. The 32-team international tournament will be held in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines.

There will be eight groups of four teams. The best two teams in each group will advance to a single-elimination tournament that concludes on Sept. 10 with the crowning of the World Cup winner.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have five players who will participate in the event on three different teams: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort for Canada; Josh Giddey and Jack White for Australia; and Davis Bertans for Latvia.

Canada and Latvia are both in Group H with France and Lebanon. Australia is in Group E with Germany, Finland and Japan.

Let’s break down when the Thunder players will be in action for their first group game and how to watch their performances.

PHOTOS: Best images from Australia’s 78-74 exhibition win over France

The best photos from Australia’s 78-74 exhibition win over France.

Australia continues to prepare for the 2023 FIBA World Cup by playing several exhibition matchups.

The Boomers arguably had their best showing yet when they completed the comeback against France in a 78-74 win.

Josh Giddey led the way as he orchestrated a 12-4 run in the final two minutes to close out the comeback attempt after trailing by double digits.

In 27 minutes, Giddey finished with 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. He went 4-of-6 from the free-throw line.

Jack White also looked solid. In 16 minutes off the bench, he finished with six points on 2-of-3 shooting and one rebound.

Let’s look at some of the best photos from Australia’s four-point win over France.

2023 FIBA World Cup: Josh Giddey leads Australia to 78-74 exhibition win over France

Josh Giddey helped Australia finish the game on a 12-4 run in the final two minutes.

Sneaking from behind, Josh Giddey ripped the ball away from Rudy Gobert for the offensive board which quickly led to a Patty Mills 3.

This possession was one of several late-game highlights for Australia as they completed the double-digit comeback in a 78-74 exhibition win over France.

Trailing by four points with 2:22 remaining in regulation, Giddey checked back into the contest and led Australia to a 12-4 run to close out the surprising win. This was a surprising turnaround for the Boomers as it appeared France was going to run away from this game early on after building a 27-19 lead following the first quarter.

The four-point win marks Australia’s most impressive performance yet in their current slate of exhibitions in preparation for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. France is billed as an upper-echelon squad as their roster is filled with several high-end NBA players.

This was clearly on display in Japan during this friendly — Evan Fournier had 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting. Gobert had nine points and eight rebounds.

The Oklahoma City Thunder must’ve been excited to stay up for this exhibition. Giddey looked his best as he conducted the comeback win against one of the best World Cup teams. The passing continues to be crisp and the aggressiveness continues to rise, which has resulted in a high amount of free-throw trips.

In 27 minutes, Giddey finished with 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. He went 4-of-6 from the free-throw line.

Giddey’s Thunder teammate Jack White also looked solid in his best exhibition performance thus far. In 16 minutes off the bench, he finished with six points on 2-of-3 shooting and one rebound.

While this is just a friendly, it’s still extremely exciting to see Giddey handle himself like a pro in crunch time against one of the best World Cup teams throughout the tournament.

Let’s look at instant reactions and highlights about Australia’s four-point win.

2023 FIBA World Cup: Canada concludes exhibitions with 94-88 loss to Dominican Republic

Full recap on Canada’s 94-88 exhibition loss to the Dominican Republic.

In their exhibition finale, Canada lost to the Dominican Republic, 94-88. Canada essentially used this game as a resting opportunity with several key starters only playing limited first-half minutes.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was limited to just 13 first-half minutes, where he had six points on 2-of-6 shooting, two assists and two rebounds. Due to him playing heavy minutes in the first four exhibition games and this being the second day of a back-to-back, Canada elected to pseudo-rest their star guard.

Lu Dort, on the other hand, had a busy night. In 16 minutes off the bench, he finished with 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting, five rebounds and two assists. He shot 1-of-6 from 3.

Exhibitions are now over. The next time Canada plays, it’ll be for the 2023 FIBA World Cup — which kicks off on Aug. 25.

Let’s look at instant reactions and highlights from Canada’s six-point exhibition loss to the Dominican Republic.

2023 FIBA World Cup: 3 Thunder players represented in Canada’s 85-80 OT exhibition win vs. Spain

Instant reactions and highlights from Canada’s OT win over Spain as SGA, Lu Dort and Usman Garuba shared the floor.

With the 2023 FIBA World Cup inching closer, Canada and Spain scheduled an exhibition game to prepare for the tournament.

Canada escaped with an overtime win against Spain, 85-80. This is the second consecutive friendly that resulted in an overtime win for Canada.

Both teams have Oklahoma City Thunder representatives on their rosters: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort with Canada and Usman Garuba with Spain.

In 33 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists. He went 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.

The 25-year-old had a chance to win this game at the end of regulation but missed a turnaround wing 3 that resulted in overtime.

Dort struggled in his outing. In 19 minutes off the bench, he went scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting and grabbed three rebounds. Despite the lack of production, he played critical minutes down the stretch in both the fourth quarter and overtime.

The biggest surprise of the OKC trio was Garuba. While Gilgeous-Alexander led the game in scoring, that is expected of him after he finished No. 5 in MVP voting last season.

Garuba — on the other hand — has been mostly an afterthought when it comes to the Thunder’s roster construction discourse. That will quickly change though if he continues to put up similar performances as he did against two of his OKC teammates.

In 23 minutes, Garuba finished with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, eight rebounds and a ridiculous five steals. Playing with several other NBA players on the court, the recently acquired Thunder player was one of the louder guys in the game.

Full box scores for both Canada and Spain can be viewed below:

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Let’s look at instant reactions and highlights from Canada’s five-point overtime exhibition win.

PHOTOS: Best images from Australia’s 88-67 exhibition win over South Sudan

The best photos from Australia’s 88-67 exhibition win over South Sudan in preparation for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Australia continues to build momentum as they continue to prepare for the 2023 FIBA World Cup by playing a handful of exhibiting games prior to the start of the tournament.

In their most recent exhibition, Australia came away with a 88-67 win over South Sudan. This was a nice answer to their surprise defeat against Brazil in their previous exhibition matchup.

In 20 minutes, Josh Giddey had six points on 1-of-6 shooting, nine assists and four rebounds. Off the bench, Jack White had eight points, three rebounds and three steals in 18 minutes.

Let’s look at some of the best photos from Australia’s 21-point friendly win.

2023 FIBA World Cup: Australia finds rhythm in 88-67 exhibition win vs. South Sudan

Recapping Australia’s 88-67 exhibition win over South Sudan.

After suffering an upset loss to Brazil, Australia sharpened its blade in its  third exhibition game by dominating South Sudan in an 88-67 win. The Boomers enjoyed the one-sided win as they led by as many as 29 points.

It was a more mellow game for Josh Giddey. He finished with six points on 1-of-6 shooting, nine assists and four rebounds in 20 minutes. He also went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Australia didn’t need him on his “A” game against South Sudan to blow them out.

For Jack White, this was his best offensive outing yet with the Boomers and the defense continues to be a positive for him as an athletic big. In 18 minutes off the bench, he had eight points on 2-of-4 shooting and went 4-of-6 from the free-throw line to go along with three rebounds and three steals.

The full Australian box score can be viewed below:

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This was a nice palate cleanser for Australia after their lethargic showing in their previous game. The Boomers will need more performances like these when the games start to matter on Aug. 25 in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Let’s look at highlights and instant reactions from Australia’s 21-point exhibition win over South Sudan.

Anthony Edwards mocked Jaren Jackson Jr. mid-dunk for getting out of way in Team USA practice

Anthony Edwards is an elite trash talker.

As Team USA has been practicing for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the team has certainly been having a little fun with the tournament prep.

During a scrimmage this week, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards got some playful trash-taking in at Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. as the latter got out of the way as Edwards dunked the ball.

“Jump! Ain’t you Defensive Player of the Year?” Edwards quipped to Jackson during the practice session, which likely fueled more friendly competition between these two on the court.

While Jackson was indeed the NBA’s top defensive player last season, it clearly won’t stop Edwards from getting some amicable trolling in on the practice floor.

Hey, Edwards is as good at trash-talking as he is at basketball, and we bet that Jackson won’t go easy on him on the next possession.

However, the two will be teammates cheering each other on in the Basketball World Cup sooner than later.

PHOTOS: Best images from Australia’s 90-86 exhibition loss to Brazil

The best photos from Australia’s 90-86 exhibition loss to Brazil as they prepare for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

As the 2023 FIBA World Cup draws nearer, Australia looks like it has a few things to work out still prior to the start of the tournament.

Following a one-sided win in their first exhibition game, Australia lost to Brazil, 90-86, in their second friendly.

The Boomers struggled to score efficiently all game. Josh Giddey finished with 20 points on 7-of-19 shooting, 10 rebounds and four assists. He also went 5-of-9 from the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, Jack White had a much better outing as he collected nine points and four rebounds off the bench.

Let’s look at some of the best photos from Australia’s four-point loss in this exhibition game to Brazil.

2023 FIBA World Cup: Brazil upsets Australia in exhibition, 90-86

A full recap of Australia’s 90-86 exhibition loss to Brazil as they prepare for the 2023 FIBA World Cup:

Serving as quite the juxtaposition from their first exhibition game, Australia couldn’t overcome a slow start in an 90-86 loss to Brazil.

Australia trailed Brazil, 23-13, following the first quarter. The middle quarters helped the Boomers get back in the game; they outscored Brazil, 58-41.

Australia’s seven-point lead entering the fourth quarter quickly disappeared. Brazil used a 26-15 scoring advantage to upset the Boomers.

Despite the loss, Josh Giddey had a good outing that displayed his ability to draw contact. In 27 minutes, he finished with 20 points on 7-of-19 shooting, 10 rebounds and four assists. He went 5-of-9 from the free-throw line and 1-of-6 from 3 — despite both being low shooting numbers, it’s still an encouraging sign to see the 20-year-old draw consistent trips to the line under FIBA rules.

Jack White also had a much better outing compared to what he did against Venezuela. In 11 minutes off the bench, he finished with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and four rebounds. He was part of Australia’s second unit that brought them back into the game with an energy-filled second quarter.

The results of these exhibitions don’t matter, so this was a golden opportunity to see how the new-look Australia team would look in crunch time with Giddey as the main ball-handler.

The first batch of results wasn’t optimal as Giddey struggled in the fourth quarter against Brazil, but that’s the purpose of these types of games. This can serve as a learning experience that can help Australia for when the games will actually start to matter starting Aug. 25.

Australia’s full box score can be viewed below:

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Let’s look at highlights and instant reactions from Australia’s close loss as Giddey toughed out a 20-point performance.