The Americans will head home from the The Philippines empty-handed following Sunday’s 127-118 overtime loss, which netted Canada its first FIBA World Cup medal.
The disappointment of Friday’s semifinal loss to Germany turned to heartbreak for the Americans Sunday during a 127-118 overtime loss to Canada in the bronze medal game at the Mall of Asia Arena in the Philippines.
Playing without three players due to illness, USA Basketball fought back from double-digit deficits in the first and fourth quarters to force overtime, only to be outscored 16-7 in the extra period. Canada claimed its first FIBA World Cup medal thanks to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillon Brooks, who pummeled USA Basketball’s shorthanded defense. “The medal means a lot to the guys, the program, the board, the country, everybody, the coaches,” Canada Coach Jordi Fernandez said. “An accomplishment like this, you don’t know what it is until you do it. All the relationships we’ve built will stay there forever. We have a great program.”The narrow defeat to a budding rival capped a disheartening tournament for USA Basketball, which finished 5-3, to place fourth out of 32 teams. The Americans won their first four games before suffering losses to Lithuania, Germany and Canada over the last eight days. Jaren Jackson Jr., Paolo Banchero and Brandon Ingram all missed the bronze medal game, forcing Coach Steve Kerr to start Walker Kessler and to utilize centerless lineups down the stretch. “I feel bad for our guys,” Kerr said. “They really put so much into it for the last six weeks. It was an amazing group. It was tough to try to hang in there tonight without three guys who were very important to the team.”along the way. Gilgeous-Alexander emerged as the tournament’s brightest star, shaking free from regular double teams by USA Basketball Sunday to finish with 31 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists. Brooks, who famously lost a war of words with LeBron James during the playoffs and parted ways with the Memphis Grizzlies over the summer, scored a game-high 39 points and shot 7-for-8 from outside. After receiving boos at various points during the tournament, the Manila crowd serenaded him with “M-V-P” chants in recognition of an excellent two-way performance that closed a redemptive tournament run.“I appreciate [the critics],” Brooks said. “From the beginning, everybody that was throwing shots on Twitter and Instagram watching me play. It just helps me get better and better each day. It motivates me to get better. … It’s an amazing feeling being recognized during the game. I never take it for granted. The work doesn’t stop here. I’m not satisfied and neither is any of us on this team.”Though Canada jumped out to an early 23-13 lead and largely controlled the action, USA Basketball unleashed a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull in front with just over six minutes remaining in regulation. The North American neighbors traded baskets and free throws during a tense endgame, with Gilgeous-Alexander hitting a jumper and Brooks making two free throws to give Canada a four-point lead with 10 seconds left. Facing near-certain defeat, Mikal Bridges stepped to the free throw line with 4.2 seconds left. After making his first attempt, Bridges intentionally missed his second and the ball caromed off the rim to the right corner. The Brooklyn Nets forward then tracked down his own rebound, retreated behind the arc and drilled a game-tying turnaround three-pointer to tie the score at 111 with 0.2 seconds left.
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