Highlights: Canada vs Latvia in Basketball World Cup (101-75)

Points 

Canada: Gilgeous-Alexander, 27

Latvia: Andrejs Grazulis, 16

Rebounds

Canada: Melvin Ejim, 7

Latvia: Rodions Kurucs, 10

Assists

Canada: Gilgeous-Alexander, 6

Latvia: Aigars Skele, 6

Blockers

Canada: Dillon Brooks and Melvin Ejim, 3

Latvia: Aigars Skele and Rodions Kurucs, 2

End of game

Powell recovers a rebound from Zoricks, the ball reaches Gilgeous-Alexander, who makes it 86-66

Balanced game, Latvia stays alive, but Canada stays ahead

Q3 ends

Gilgeous-Alexander was responsible for dropping the ball several times and leaving the Canadian side comfortably 10 up

Latvia grows again and, in a sequence of four baskets, brings the difference down to three

RJ Barret and Gilgeous-Alexande will lead Canada, which opens 12

Q2 ends

Latvia failed to take advantage of their lead. Canada grew into the game, had a good run and cut the gap to three points

After recovering a defensive rebound, Gilgeous-Alexander works with RJ Barret and puts it on the tray

Zoriks tries a three when he makes the jump shot, but RJ Barret gets the rebound well

Q1 ends

Latvia increased the pressure, turned the game around and, with Kurucs and Bertans, took an 11-goal lead

Canada doesn't let their opponents take the lead, reacts and manages to equalize with RJ Barrett

Latvia has a string of three-pointers, two from Kurucs and one from Zagars

High ball

Both undefeated. ✅
Fighting for the top spot in Group H. 🎖️

Canada vs Latvia tips off in 45 minutes! 🔥#FIBAWC x #WinForAll pic.twitter.com/RaPVD582Y8 — FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 29, 2023

In the second phase, the qualified teams play two more games, only against teams they haven't faced yet. Adding up all the points from the two phases, two teams advance to the quarter-finals

The two best teams in each group will advance to the second round, taking into account the results obtained in the first round. The second phase will be between the following groups:

Group I (first and second-placed teams from group A + first and second-placed teams from group B)

Group J (first and second from group C + first and second from group D)

Group K (first and second from group E + first and second from group F)

Group L (first and second from group G + first and second from group H)

France beat Lebanon 85-79. Despite having the same four points, the team has the SC of -26

1 - Canada 4 points

2 - Latvia 4 points

3 - France 4 points

4 - Lebanon 3 points

If you want to watch the game Canada vs Latvia live on TV, your options is: ESPN

If you want to directly stream it: ESPN+

If you want to watch it on internet, VAVEL US is your best option!

Lukas Bani: "We tried to stick to our plan throughout the game, regardless of the numbers on the scoreboard. Play with patience, aggression and simplicity. We've been together for a long time, we know what to do. But in basketball, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The victory is a joint success, the whole team did an incredible job. It was clear to us how to play, but in a competition of this level, personalities are crucial. We're all World Cup debutants, but for the younger players the debut is something special. This applies to our young creators Artur Zagar and Krister Zorik, for whom this is a unique experience and opportunity. Not only does skill grow in these tournaments. Personalities grow and harden. When I started working with the national team, I had to break stereotypes - that Latvian basketball players play bad defense, that Latvia doesn't have such outstanding personalities that can decide the outcome of such games."

Davis Bertans: "Indescribable feelings, great victory. We have incredible fans - we played like we were at home. We knew that French basketball players themselves try to play aggressively and don't like to be played against like that. We tried to use it. Losing against such strong opponents with 11 less, many teams would give up. We kept fighting. We needed a chance and it came".

Rodions Kurucs, Mareks Mejeris, Davis Bertans, Dairis Bertans, Janis Timma, Rolands Smits, Arturs Strautins,  Klavs Cavars, Aigars Skele, Andrejs Grazulis, Anzejs Pasecniks, Toms Leimanis, Arturs Kurucs, Arturs Zagars, Kristers Zoriks.
 

Jordi Fernández: "We play together, we share basketball. The 44 assists in 15 turnovers is a World Cup record. It just shows that sharing is caring and that these guys were ready to play the right way."

Trae Bell-Haynes: "We're very excited to have kept our rhythm. We talked about making sure there were no slumps [after the win against France], keeping the momentum going and I think we did a good job. Our confidence is high. You could see that everyone was playing well, playing for free. I'm glad we kept going and I hope we can keep doing that. Since we got here, we've been passing the ball really well, sharing the ball really well."

Kyle Alexander, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, RJ Barrett, Trae Bell-Haynes, Dillon Brooks, Luguentz Dort, Zach Edey, Melvin Ejim, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, Kelly Olynyk, Kevin Pangos, Dwight Powell, Phil Scrubb, Thomas Scrubb.

Like their opponents, Latvia are also unbeaten in the World Cup, with four points to their name. The Latvians beat France 88-86 and Lebanon 109-70 in a tight game.

Canada has a 100% record in the World Cup, with four points. They beat Lebanon 128-73 and France 95-65.

Group A: Angola, Dominican Republic, Philippines and Italy

Group B: South Sudan, Serbia, People's Republic of China and Puerto Rico

Group C: United States, Jordan, Greece and New Zealand

Group D: Egypt, Mexico, Montenegro and Lithuania

Group E: Germany, Finland, Australia and Japan

Group F: Slovenia, Cape Verde, Georgia and Venezuela

Group G: Brazil, Islamic Republic of Iran, Spain and Ivory Coast

Group H: Canada, Latvia, France and Lebanon.

The tournament's biggest winners: United States (5), Brazil (2), Argentina (1), Spain (2) and the former Yugoslavia (5) and Soviet Union (3).

The Basketball World Cup, also known as the FIBA Basketball World Cup, is an international men's basketball tournament organized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Like the Football World Cup, the Basketball World Cup takes place every four years and brings together the best national basketball teams from around the world.

The first Basketball World Cup was held in 1950, and since then it has been one of the most prestigious events in the world of international basketball. Teams such as the United States, the Soviet Union (now Russia), Spain, Australia and Yugoslavia (now independent nations) have featured prominently in the competition over the years.

The United States has been remarkably successful in the Basketball World Cup, winning several titles over the years. However, the popularity and participation of NBA players in the Summer Olympics often attracts more attention than the Basketball World Cup.

The current edition, in 2023, will have three venues: Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines. The current edition has 32 teams, divided into eight groups of four. Two teams qualify for the next round and so the round of 16 begins, just like the soccer World Cup.

Canada vs Latvia live this Tuesday (29), at the Indonesia Arena at 9:30 am ET, for the Basketball World Cup. The match is valid for the 3th round of the competition.

My name is Izabelle França and I’ll be your host for this game. We will provide you with pre-game analysis, score updates, and news as it happens live here on  VAVEL USA.