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FIBA World Cup 2023 Results: Friday Group Scores, Highlights and Reaction – Bleacher Report
On the first day of the 2023 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, multiple contenders began their pursuit of a medal.
Australia, Canada, France and Lithuania were some of the top teams in action, and the biggest matchup of the day was unquestionably a Group H clash between Canada and France, which saw the Canadians pull off an upset in dominant fashion over the defending bronze medalists.
Shai shines in his World Cup debut, dropping 27 PTS & 13 REB and leads Canada to a statement win. π¨π¦<br><br>π 27 PTS | 13 REB | 6 AST | 2 STL<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinForCanada?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinForCanada</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/InspireGreatness?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#InspireGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/Nw226IoVcG">pic.twitter.com/Nw226IoVcG</a>
Lithuania and Australia breezed to easy victories, as did fringe contenders such as Germany, Italy and Montenegro.
NBA stars came to the forefront Friday with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Giddey, Lauri Markkanen and Rudy Gobert among the players who took the court.
Here is a complete look at the scores from the opening day of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, along with highlights and analysis from the biggest games on the slate.
Friday Group Scores
Group A: Italy def. Angola, 81-67
Group A: Dominican Republic def. Philippines, 87-81
Group D: Montenegro def. Mexico, 91-71
Group D: Lithuania def. Egypt, 93-67
Group E: Australia def. Finland, 98-72
Group E: Germany def. Japan, 81-63
Group H: Latvia def. Lebanon, 109-70
Group H: Canada def. France, 95-65
2023 FIBA World Cup Day 1 Highlights and Reaction
With both teams boasting a significant amount of NBA talent, the headline game of the day saw Canada and France go to battle in Indonesia.
Canada has long produced quality players, but it usually hasn’t led to international success. The Canadians have never medaled at the Olympics and haven’t qualified since 2000, and their best finish at the FIBA World Cup is sixth.
Following a hugely disappointing 21st-place finish at the 2019 World Cup, Canada brought a stacked roster to this year’s tournament, and it paid immediate dividends, as it scored one of its biggest wins in recent history, blowing out France 95-65.
Leading a team made up almost exclusively of NBA players was Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, and led all players in scoring.
SGA was a dominant force in Canada’s victory, getting to the bucket aggressively and knocking down shots from long range:
Shai's Eurostep is too smooth π―<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinForCanada?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinForCanada</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZUeFVkZZYj">pic.twitter.com/ZUeFVkZZYj</a>
Shai pulling up from the logo like its nothing. π₯΅<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinForCanada?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinForCanada</a> <a href="https://t.co/246unQJHLt">pic.twitter.com/246unQJHLt</a>
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Canada’s win was the fact that one of the country’s top players in Golden State Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins isn’t even partaking in the World Cup:
Canada going crazy on France right now. With no Wiggins. Tons of potential for medal in Olympics next year
Canada beat a French team headlined by established NBA players such as Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier and Nicolas Batum, perhaps signaling a changing of the guard in international basketball.
Gobert, who stars for the Minnesota Timberwolves, was limited to just eight points and nine rebounds, and was neutralized by Utah Jazz center Kelly Olynyk, who finished with 18 points and four boards.
Australia is always a threat to medal at a major international event, having finished fourth at the 2019 FIBA World Cup and third at the 2020 Summer Olympics, and it proved again Friday that it will be a tough team to beat.
The Boomers made fairly easy work of Finland in a 98-72 win thanks largely to the play of Thunder guard Josh Giddey and Atlanta Hawks guard Patty Mills:
Patty Mills (25 PTS, 8 REB) and Josh Giddey (14 PTS, 9 REB, 8 AST) led Australia to a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> opening W π <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinForAll?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinForAll</a><br><br>Visit FIBA World Cup hub for more info:<br>β‘οΈ <a href="https://t.co/iB8UbB8eF1">https://t.co/iB8UbB8eF1</a> <a href="https://t.co/4lIN2ZHpLh">pic.twitter.com/4lIN2ZHpLh</a>
Mills, 35, led all scorers with 25 points on 11-of-22 shooting, but it was the 20-year-old Giddey who truly had people buzzing.
Giddey did a little bit of everything in the victory, finishing just shy of a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists:
Josh Giddey made a splash in Okinawa, introducing himself with 14pts, 9reb and 8ast! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinForAustralia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinForAustralia</a> π¦πΊ <a href="https://t.co/Vkua9bMS1E">pic.twitter.com/Vkua9bMS1E</a>
He, along with Gilgeous-Alexander, joined an exclusive group Friday, doing something that had only previously been done by LeBron James in their FIBA World Cup debut:
Only three players have combined for more than 10 points, more than 5 rebounds and more than 5 assists in their debut game in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> game in the 21st century:<br>LeBron James πΊπΈ in 2006<br>Josh Giddey π¦πΊ and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander π¨π¦ both today π
Australia also got double-digit scoring out of NBA players Joe Ingles (13 points) and Dante Exum (10 points), while Finland was led by Jazz All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen, who had 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Representing the birth country of his mother, T-Wolves star Karl-Anthony Towns willed the Dominican Republic to an 87-81 win over the Philippines on Friday.
Playing a true road game in front of a pro-Filipino crowd, KAT went off to the tune of 26 points and 10 rebounds in the victory:
WORLD CUP KAT HAS ARRIVED π€<br><br>26 PTS and 10 REB to lead π©π΄ Dominican Republic to an opening win in front of 40k Filipino fans π₯<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> <a href="https://t.co/sJSfpZT8ld">pic.twitter.com/sJSfpZT8ld</a>
After the game, Towns praised the atmosphere in the Philippines and the fighting spirit of his opponents:
Karl-Anthony Towns had a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds to give the Dominican Republic the debuting victory in the 2023 FIBA World Cup π©π΄<br><br>"It's amazing", he said about playing in front of 38.115 people against the Philippines in the Philippine Arena: <a href="https://t.co/RCltZYNQDP">pic.twitter.com/RCltZYNQDP</a>
In a game that was tightly contested and tied at halftime, Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson was primarily responsible for keeping things close with a game-high 28 points, plus seven assists and seven rebounds for Gilas Pilipinas.
Dominicans are somewhat lacking in high-level talent elsewhere on the roster, but if Towns continues to play at an elite level, he could potentially take them on a deep run, much like Luka DonΔiΔ did for Slovenia at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Group play will continue Saturday with the United States, Spain, Slovenia and Serbia playing their first games of the tournament.
