Dribbling past halfcourt, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had the ball snatched from him, giving Serbia the easy transition layup to start the fourth quarter.
The play exemplified the night Canada had. The best FIBA player struggled to get the ball past halfcourt in a must-win quarter.
Buy Thunder TicketsCanada — and Gilgeous-Alexander — struggled in its 95-86 elimination loss to Serbia. The loss knocked Canada out of the 2023 FIBA World Cup tournament as it finished a win shy of the final.
Serbia set the tone early; it led Canada 23-15 following the first quarter. The lead grew to 52-39 at halftime. Canada managed to cut only one point from its halftime deficit in the third quarter before a 7-2 run by Serbia in the opening two minutes of the fourth quarter put this one out of reach.
The Oklahoma City Thunder duo were quiet in Canada’s loss. They combined for 18 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Outside of a few second-half spurts, Gilgeous-Alexander was held in check by Serbia.
In 34 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander had 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting, nine assists and two rebounds. He also went 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. He struggled with fouls in the first half with three calls that went against him in the opening two quarters.
Dort played 19 minutes off the bench in the loss as he scored three points on 1-of-4 shooting and grabbed three rebounds. Much like Gilgeous-Alexander, he also struggled to avoid foul trouble with four fouls.
Serbia — who are without two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and Thunder teammates Aleksej Pokusevski and Vasilije Micic — has a chance to further strengthen its stance as an international powerhouse.
The loss ends Canada’s FIBA World Cup run. It will play for the bronze medal on Sunday, Sept. 10 against the loser of the United States vs. Germany matchup.
Let’s look at instant reactions and highlights from Canada’s nine-point loss.
Shai in his office#FIBAWC | #WinForCanada | #OneTeam pic.twitter.com/95213LqIoX
— Canada Basketball (@CanBball) September 8, 2023
let's get it, here's our starters
▫️ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
▫️ Dillon Brooks
▫️ RJ Barrett
▫️ Kelly Olynyk
▫️ Dwight Powell📺:@Sportsnet
📊: https://t.co/EfSTuQb9tJ#FIBAWC | #WinForCanada | #OneTeam pic.twitter.com/U3oyO9lF87— Canada Basketball (@CanBball) September 8, 2023
End of 1Q: Serbia 23, Canada 15
SGA – 0/1 shooting, 1 assist
Dort – 0/1 shooting
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) September 8, 2023
SGA to Dort for the corner 3!
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) September 8, 2023
SGA scores his first points on a spinning layup at the 5:49 mark of the 2Q
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) September 8, 2023
Shai picks up foul #3.
— TF (@ThunderFocus) September 8, 2023
HALF: Serbia 52, Canada 39
SGA – 5 points on 1/4 shooting, 4 assists, 3/4 FTs
Dort – 3 points on 1/3 shooting
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) September 8, 2023
Canada down 52-39 to Serbia at the half.
Canada needs a trademark Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 3rd quarter to get back into this one.
FIBA World Cup Finals berth is on the line.
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) September 8, 2023
SGA hits on a post-up fadeaway for his first points of the second half
He then drives to the basket and gets to the FT line in the immediate Canada possession
Perhaps building up some rhythm after a quiet game thus far
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) September 8, 2023
End of 3Q: Serbia 75, Canada 63
SGA – 14 points on 4/8 shooting, 6 assists, 6/7 FTs
Dort – 3 points on 1/4 shooting, 1 rebound
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) September 8, 2023
Here's Aleksa Avramovic just ripping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to start the 4th quarter and getting the layup on the other end.
Serbia us up by 17 with less than 9 minutes remaining. Over-achieving at it's finest pic.twitter.com/oM6wM3nCti
— World Cup Coverage (@WCCoverage23) September 8, 2023
FINAL: Serbia 95, Canada 86
SGA – 15 points on 4/8 shooting, 9 assists, 2 rebounds, 7/9 FTs
Dort – 3 points on 1/4 shooting, 3 rebounds
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) September 8, 2023
Canada will play for bronze on Sunday after falling to Serbia in the semifinals. #FIBAWC | @CanBball pic.twitter.com/COEGIqJ5kQ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 8, 2023
