The soloists disassembled a team. Spain lost to Canada (85-88) despite stretching their resistance to the last second with a choral and supportive basketball exercise. The team said goodbye to the World Cup in the second phase of the championship, will not play the quarterfinals and, without a direct ticket to the Games, will have to enroll in a winding pre-Olympic from July 2 to 7 of next year to be in Paris 2024. wall that Scariolo’s team built stone by stone was knocked down by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with 30 points, and Dillon Brooks, with 22. It was too much ammunition for a selection with Willy (25) and Aldama (20) as offensive banners and a delivery in defense that was not enough to retain the 12-point advantage with which they entered the last quarter. Spain was superior in the statistics in rebounds, assists and steals, but lost because that’s the game. The current world champion, of Europe and number one of the ranking You will see the crossings from home: Italy-United States, Germany-Latvia, Lithuania-Serbia and Canada-Slovenia.
Spain opened the fight with Núñez as game director. The team needed a generator to avoid traffic jams like the one suffered against Slovenia, and the young point guard is the most lucid in the class. Scariolo shielded him with Abrines as escort and Claver as forward along with the Hernangómez. This new connection between Núñez and Willy cultivated the first basket and the team began to struggle under the basket, mined territory. Canada is talent packed with muscle. Each ball was fought with clenched teeth and there Spain, determined on the rebound, had to bolt to the field when the action was decided in the melee. Willy was huge in those first bars of recognition, Dort hit the first triple and Abrines responded with another outside bingo. In a tough face-to-face, Spain was indeed Spain (16-10), a competitive team that puts cement in the defense. Each piece fulfilled the duties. Scariolo refreshed legs with Díaz, Llull, Rudy, Aldama and Garuba in two substitution windows. Canada was running, still no big news from her star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but wrist warm at a distance. The change of shirt did not sit well with Spain, which conceded a 2-11 run and resisted until the first break with a dart from Díaz from the perimeter (21-21).
Rudy’s turn. The eternal 38-year-old captain enlisted to tutor the younger pawns. Like Aldama, who shook off his fears with a hit from a distance, a foray into the basket and a dunk after a flying pass from the forward. Shai Gilgeous then appeared on the opposite board with two lightning bolts, a triple and a counterattack after a recovery by the reds. The figure of the NBA had said present, seconded by the bullet Brooks in his vertical attacks on the net. It was an appointment to empty himself, and Garuba blocked Olynyk (30-30) while Abrines honed in on his shooter specialty. Shai continued to take bites avoiding the jailers that Scariolo put on him. An unsportsmanlike action against Brooks and a reverse from Willy gave Spain a bit of air (40-33) in a duel of many decibels. The Spanish center finally shone at the level required by the championship and his status as the best player in the past Eurobasket. Eight points in a row from Madrid (18 and five rebounds in the first half) and that defense of all to one that is almost a birthmark gave Spain the biggest advantage just at halftime (48-38). The selection competed from you to you.
Six minutes before the start of the third quarter, the Canadian players had already taken to the court. Jordi Fernández’s talk was short and to the point. Scariolo repeated the starting five, but before the ball was put into play Abrines had committed a foul in attack. And there were four in total from the selection in 70 seconds. Spain had a hard time chewing the first attacks and Núñez invented a juggler’s basket. Canada had entered the rhythm of the match, well closed behind and with Shai Gilgeous as a double agent: driver and executioner (50-46). He came to Willy as a savior and Rudy returned to the track. The tension was already infinite and the referees indicated a technique to Scariolo for protesting a foul by Willy. A triple by Barrett and another foray by Brooks sent the match to the starting box (52-52). The North American team had woken up and was carrying everything, inside and out. Spain ran out of possession time in their hands. The team was stunned by the swing, and it was Rudy who took it by the bib with a three-pointer and a foul caused in attack. A leader never lets his team down. Brizuela in his role as an agitator and Aldama with two charges from a distance caught that energy and at the worst moment Spain came back to life (69-61). It was a test of character. The Spaniards defended with a thousand hands and with their hearts. Before the last round, 73-61 for La Familia.
Brooks with an early triple and Shai Gilgeous with two free throws cut the lead and made it clear that there was still a lot of battle ahead. The team rushed into a counter, linked another loss and returned to one of those thick periods with the ball in their hands, also upset with the refereeing. Another distant bingo from Brooks adjusted the scores even more (74-69) with a partial of 0-8. Aldama broke it to end a four-minute drought without a basket. Willy returned to the race, just like Abrines and Núñez. Canada struck one on one with its powerful body. As in that Shai Gilgeous adventure that ended in a two plus one to send the game to a tachycardic end (78-77 with 1m 32s to go). The pass to the quarterfinals was decided on each tile. Two free throws scored by Willy, another three pointer by Brooks and the 80-80 one minute away. Shai Gilgeous’s dance and one step ahead of Canada at 43 seconds. And a lost ball from the national team, Shai who didn’t miss and already impossible despite the last flashes from Núñez and Aldama and a triple shot by Abrines in the tenth final (only 12 points from Scariolo’s team in that last quarter). In its best game in the World Cup, Spain said goodbye, said goodbye to the crosses and will have to play a pre-Olympic to be in the Games. This time, the soloists beat a great team.
SPAIN, 85; CANADA, 88
Spain: Núñez (4), Abrines (11), Claver (3), Juancho Hernangómez (4) and Willy Hernangómez (25) —initial quintet—; Díaz (3), Aldama (20), Brizuela (8), Rudy Fernández (3), Garuba (4) and Llull (0).
Canada: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30), Brooks (22), Barrett (16), Olynyk (6) and Powell (6) —starting five—; Alexander (0), Dort (3), Alexander-Walker (5), Haynes (0) and Ejim (-).
Partial: 21-21, 27-17, 25-23 and 12-27.
Referees: Julio Anaya (Pan), Juan Fernández (Aar) and Jenna Jordan Reneau (USA). They eliminated Barrett.
Indonesia Arena: 12,493 spectators.
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