MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Mikal Bridges pulled off an overtime-forcing miracle. It wasn’t sufficient to maintain the U.S. from heading dwelling from the World Cup empty-handed, and after 87 years of ready Canada has once more medaled on one in all basketball’s greatest phases.
Dillon Brooks scored 39 factors, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 factors and 12 assists and Canada gained its first medal at a worldwide males’s event since 1936 by topping the U.S. 127-118 within the third-place recreation in Manila on Sunday.
The U.S. did not medal for the second consecutive World Cup. It’s solely the seventh time in 38 appearances on the Olympic or World Cup stage that an American group didn’t emerge with gold, silver or bronze.
“The USA hasn’t gained the World Cup since 2014,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr stated. “It’s arduous. These groups in FIBA are actually good, well-coached, they’ve obtained continuity and so they’ve performed collectively for a very long time. That is tough and it’s been tough already.”
U.S. head coach Steve Kerr appears to be like throughout the Basketball World Cup bronze medal recreation between america and Canada in Manila, Philippines, Sunday, September 10, 2023. (AP Picture/Michael Conroy)
The People had been the favorites coming into the event, then misplaced three of their final 4 video games. They left the ground for the ultimate time in Manila pissed off, indignant, upset.
“The entire above,” U.S. guard Tyrese Haliburton stated.
RJ Barrett scored 23 for Canada (6-2), which improved to 2-21 all-time in opposition to the U.S. in FIBA senior males’s competitions. The lone earlier win got here at a FIBA Americas occasion in 2005, a recreation that wasn’t loaded with big-name NBA gamers. This one was, Canada having seven on its roster and the U.S. having all 12 of its gamers hail from the league.
However three of these U.S. gamers — Brandon Ingram, Paolo Banchero and Jaren Jackson Jr. — missed Sunday’s recreation with sickness. Anthony Edwards led the People (5-3) with 24 factors, Austin Reaves scored 23 and Bridges had 19 for the U.S.
“This group was wonderful, particular,” Canada coach Jordi Fernandez stated. “It’s the start of one thing that’s going to final for a very long time.”
Bridges pulled off an unbelievable play within the closing seconds of regulation, going to the road with the U.S. down by 4 with 4.2 seconds left and needing a miracle.
He delivered one.
Bridges made the primary free throw, deliberately missed the second and ran down the rebound because it bounced towards the correct nook. Bridges corralled the ball, spun and let fly from simply behind the 3-point line.
Swish. Recreation tied with 0.6 seconds left. Kelly Olynyk almost gained it for Canada on the ultimate play of regulation with a 30-footer that hit the again iron as time expired, and to extra time they went, tied at 111-111.
“Simply tried to overlook it proper. That’s form of the place you need the ball to be at in conditions like that,” Bridges stated. “Simply learn and react … went and shot it.”
However Canada was undeterred, by no means trailing within the additional session.
“We gained the primary 40 minutes. Properly, clearly not, however we gained nearly all of the primary 40 minutes and we didn’t suppose it was a fluke,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated. “So, we simply tried to give attention to profitable the subsequent 5.”
Canada ahead Dillon Brooks (24) celebrates after the Basketball World Cup bronze medal recreation between america and Canada in Manila, Philippines, Sunday, September 10, 2023. (AP Picture/Michael Conroy)
That’s precisely what they did, and now it’s over. One other World Cup, one other debacle for the People. They completed seventh in China 4 years in the past, fourth in Manila — shedding three of their closing 4 video games — and now have lower than 12 months to regroup for the Paris Video games and the search to win a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
“Tremendous robust, however can’t win all of them,” Edwards stated. “Got here up brief, twice.”
That will be twice within the medal spherical, in opposition to Germany and now Canada, and as soon as extra in opposition to Lithuania within the second spherical — the place the undoing of this U.S. World Cup run began.
There simply wasn’t sufficient protection, as soon as once more. This event marked the primary Olympic or World Cup look the place a U.S. group gave up at the very least 100 factors three totally different occasions. The People went 0-3 in these video games in Manila, shedding to Lithuania, Germany within the semis and Canada on Sunday.
“I imply, we couldn’t get no stops,” Edwards stated. “Our protection was fairly dangerous.”
Canada’s solely different medal in a event of this magnitude — World Cup or Olympics — got here in 1936, when it misplaced 19-8 to the U.S. within the gold-medal matchup on the Berlin Video games. That closing was performed exterior, in a rainstorm, on a clay courtroom that most likely would have been higher served that day as a slip-and-slide.
This was for bronze, not silver. But it surely’s protected to say Canada loved it much more than that higher end 87 years in the past.
“We actually wished to play the U.S.,” Brooks stated. “We obtained our want.”