FIBA WORLD CUP GAME DAY 3 REVIEW
- Latvia beats France in a nail-biting game, eliminating Les Blues from the FIBA World Cup
- Towns and the Dominican Republic fend off Italy in a “Thrilla in Manila”
- Canada sets an all-time FIBA World Cup assist record
- Serbia, Lithuania and Montenegro cruise with consecutive blowout wins
- First wins for Japan and Angola at the FIBA World Cup 2023
- The Philippines drop to 0-2 despite the passionate support from the hometown crowd
Aug 27, 2023
The third day of competition at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 saw 8 matchups across Groups A, D, E and H. There were world class displays everywhere you looked, with several close games. There were favourites pushed to the brink, some shocking upsets and a record setting performance from Canada. Get caught up from a thrilling day at the FIBA World Cup with Courtside 1891 Daily Round Up show or highlights from each and every matchup.
Pivotal match-ups across the board at the FIBA World Cup with places in the second group already on the line
Group A
Italy vs Dominican Republic 82-87 Game Recap
Italy vs Dominican Republic was billed as a close matchup and the teams did not disappoint. While Karl-Anthony Towns had top billing coming into this one, it was Andres Feliz who took the game’s MVP honours. This moves the Dominican Republic into the driver’s seat for Group A despite two close matchups so far.
Philippines vs Angola 70-80 Game Recap
Philippines vs Angola delivered one of the shock results of the tournament to date. The hometown crowd was behind Gilas Pilipinas but the Angolans have other ideas. Not even a Jordan Clarkson led comeback was enough as an impressive Angola squad, led by Gerson Goncalves took the game by 10.
Group D
Montenegro vs Egypt 89-74 Game Recap
Montenegro vs Egypt saw the team from Montenegro will comfortably, moving them to 2-0 and securing their place for the second round. Led by Nikola Ivanovic they will be going into their last group stage matchup vs Lithuania with plenty of confidence in their bid to win the group.
Lithuania vs Mexico 96-66 Game Recap
Lithuania vs Mexico resulted in one of the few blowouts of the day. After a first quarter where Lithuania put up 32 points, Mexico was never able to rally and Lithuania won with ease on the back of a Rokas Jokubaitis MVP level performance. They are also 2-0 going into a final matchup against Montenegro where both are guaranteed a place in the second round – but who will do so as the winner of Group D.
Group E
Australia vs Germany 82-85 Game Recap
Australia vs Germany promised to be a top-level matchup in the group stage, and it delivered. While Dennis Schroder and Patty Mills were billed as the matchup to watch, it was Dennis Schroder who won this round and walked away with MVP honours. He finished with 30 points, including the go-ahead bucket with under 1-minute to go, to guarantee Germany’s place in the second round. The Australians will surely be disappointed but are well positioned to still advance to the second stage in a very competitive Group E.
Japan vs Finland 98-88 Game Recap
Japan vs Finland had both teams coming off a loss and was always going to be tight affair. On the back of an emotional home crowd, the Akatsuki pulled off the biggest comeback of the FIBA World Cup 2023 so far and eliminated Finland in the process. Japan were down as many as 18 points in the third quarter but led by game MVP Joshua Hawkinson, they were able to send their fans home happy & give themselves a chance to move to the second round.
Group H
Lebanon vs Canada 73-128 Game Recap
Lebanon vs Canada ended in as a lob-sided affair with the Canadians setting a new Men’s FIBA World Cup record with 44 assists in a single game. It was a balanced attack from the Canadian squad but RJ Barrett’s performance stood out above the rest resulting in him being awarded the game’s MVP honours. This result for Canada meant they became the first team to register 40+ assists in a FIBA World Cup game since the data was officially recorded starting in 1994.
France vs Latvia 86-88 Game Recap
France vs Latvia was the final game of day and did it ever deliver. Mon Dieu! In a stunning win, Latvia pulled off the upset vs Les Bleus, eliminating one of the tournament favourites from the FIBA World Cup. It was a tight fourth quarter but Lativa found a way, led by Arturs Zagars. This secured Lativa’s place in the second round and currently tied for 1st place in Group H, but well behind on point difference with Canada. Even with the +/- deficit, it won’t matter if they can they pull off another upset when they face Canada next!
FIBA World Cup Live Stream & Multiple Highlight Options
Don’t worry if you can’t catch the live action, Courtside 1891 has extensive on-demand coverage and highlights after the game finishes including videos for the game MVPs, Mini-Games, Full Games and more. For the latest highlights alerts as well as live streaming and premium on-demand content, download the official Courtside 1891 app today.
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