Tag: Lebanon

Dillon Brooks efficient again as Canada blasts Lebanon at World Cup

Canada routed Lebanon in Sunday’s FIBA World Cup action, and the Canadians were +32 in the 20-plus minutes that #Rockets forward Dillon Brooks was on the floor.

Canada continues to look the part of a legitimate contender at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, and versatile Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks continues to be one of the big reasons.

Brooks is one of a handful of established NBA players on Canada’s roster, joining Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; New York’s RJ Barrett; Utah’s Kelly Olynyk; Minnesota’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker; and Dallas’ Dwight Powell.

On Sunday in Jakarta, Indonesia, none of those big names played major minutes as Canada cruised, 128-73 (box score). Two days after crushing France in an unexpected blowout, Canada built on that momentum and didn’t take a lesser opponent for granted.

One reason was Brooks, who is setting a tone with tenacious wing defense, energy and leadership. In just over 20 minutes played, Brooks had 11 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals on 4-of-5 shooting (80%), including a perfect 2-of-2 on 3-pointers. Most notably, in those limited minutes, Canada was plus-32 with Brooks on the floor.

Here’s a look at some of Brooks’ highlights, along with reaction to his play from media members and fans watching the game.

2023 FIBA World Cup: Canada enjoys lopsided 128-73 win over Lebanon

SGA had a nice, quiet day in the office in Canada’s blowout win against Lebanon.

Canada continued their strong showings in their group games with a 128-73 blowout win over Lebanon. The 55-point win improves Canada’s record to 2-0 in group play.

The talent gap was quickly evident in this game, as Canada enjoyed a 29-13 lead after the first quarter. This quickly ballooned to 66-30 at halftime. The scoring continued to escalate as Canada had an eye-popping 100-48 lead following the third quarter.

Due to the opponent, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t asked to do much in Canada’s second group game. In 17 minutes, he finished with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, five assists and five rebounds.

Canada also took advantage of the matchup by resting Lu Dort, who is dealing with soreness from their previous game against France. The resting opportunity allows him to be closer to 100% in Canada’s next group game against Latvia.

Let’s look at highlights and instant reactions from Canada’s lopsided win over Lebanon.

2023 FIBA World Cup: Davis Bertans scores 10 points in Latvia’s 109-70 win over Lebanon

Recapping Davis Bertans and Latvia’s 109-70 win over Lebanon.

[anyclip pubname=”2123″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8170″]

The Oklahoma City Thunder continued to have a busy Friday: Three group games in the 2023 FIBA World Cup featured their players.

Latvia’s 109-70 win over Lebanon in Group H featured Thunder forward Davis Bertans. In 17 minutes off the bench for Latvia, he had 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting and three rebounds. This included going 3-of-7 from 3.

Bertans’s brother — Dairis Bertans — was Latvia’s star in this 39-point win. He had 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting and four assists in 15 minutes.

The win gives Latvia a 1-0 start and an impressive first showing in group play. Fellow Group H team Canada also had a lopsided win against France in its first group game.