Team Canada won its first game of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia. On Friday, Canada trounced France 95-65. It was an extremely impressive performance by the Canadian team. France has a rich basketball history as they won the silver medal at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021. France also won the gold medal at the 2013 European Championships in Slovenia, and the bronze medal at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain and the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China.
Canada was led offensively by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Toronto, Ontario. He led Canada with 27 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Three more Canadians reached double digits in scoring. Utah Jazz center Kelly Olynyk of Toronto, Ontario had 18 points, Houston Rockets small forward Dillon Brooks of Mississauga, Ontario had 12 points and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker of Toronto, Ontario also had 12 points.
Canada has two more games in Group H. They play Lebanon on Sunday and Latvia on Tuesday. The top two teams from each group advance to the second round. Eight teams then advance to the quarterfinals. The gold medal game of the FIBA Basketball World Cup takes place on September 10 in Pasay, Philippines.
