Fiba Basketball World Cup: US sent home empty-handed, as Canada end 87-year wait for medal
- Canada send US home empty-handed after a 127-118 win in tournament’s bronze-medal match
- Tournament marks the first time the US gave up at least 100 points in three separate games, all of which the US lost
The US played the bronze-medal game short-handed, and Canada sent the Americans home from the World Cup with nothing.
Dillon Brooks scored 39 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 points and 12 assists and Canada – after surviving a miracle from Mikal Bridges that forced overtime – medalled at a global men’s basketball tournament for the first time in 87 years by topping the US 127-118 in the third-place game at the World Cup on Sunday.
RJ Barrett scored 23 for Canada, who improved to 2-21 all-time against the US in Fiba senior men’s competitions. The lone previous win came at a Fiba Americas event in 2005, a game that wasn’t loaded with big-name NBA players. This one was, Canada having seven on its roster and the US having all 12 of its players hail from the league.
But three of those US players – Brandon Ingram, Paolo Banchero and Jaren Jackson Jnr – missed the game with illness. Anthony Edwards led the Americans with 24 points, Austin Reaves scored 23 and Bridges had 19 for the US.
Bridges pulled off an unbelievable play in the final seconds of regulation, going to the line with the US down by four with 4.2 seconds left and needing a miracle and – he delivered one.
He made the first free throw, intentionally missed the second and ran down the rebound as it bounced toward the right corner. Bridges corralled the ball, spun and let fly from just behind the three-point line.