Canada vs Australia recap: Canadians passed three tests in impressive win

Canada 93, Australia 83. Sitting atop Group A.

The post Canada vs Australia recap: Canadians passed three tests in impressive win first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Canada was tested numerous times against an Australia team that was coming off a 12 point win against Spain.

They passed each one with flying colours.

As a result, Canada now leads Group A aka “The Group of Death” with a 2-0 record and plus-17 point differential. The Canadians will take on Spain (1-1) on Friday.

Test #1: Playing without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Less than two minutes into the game, Shai picked up his second foul while trying to block his former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Josh Giddey. The game could have spiraled out of hand at that point but Canada held the fort thanks to five made threes from five different players. The Canadians even took a lead for a brief moment late in the first quarter while Gilgeous-Alexander sat for eight minutes.

Test #2: Defensive adjustments

30 of Australia’s 49 first half points came in the paint. Giddey found driving lanes seemingly at will for layups and floaters, while Dante Exum and Dyson Daniels also enjoyed similar success. Canada’s interior defence was already a weakness, and Jock Landale took advantage of that (16 pts, 12 reb). Canada trailed by four at halftime due to Australia shooting 57 percent from the field. Jordi Fernandez made note of the paint points during his halftime interview on CBC.

Dillon Brooks credited a couple of adjustments during the break that turned the tide.

“We buckled down and made a matchup change, me and Lu (Dort). I guarded Patty (Mills), he guarded Giddey and it worked. We found ways to get him out of rhythm,” Brooks said.

Giddey had 15 first half points, looking like the best player on the court at times. He only added four afterwards. Dealing with the “Dorture Chamber” is a lot different from witnessing as a teammate in OKC.

Meanwhile, Mills shot only 2-10 with four turnovers.

After early foul trouble, Shai also chipped in defensively with a deflections and two blocks. Jamal Murray also added two blocks off the bench. Jordi shortened the rotation, turning to Khem Birch (who altered a few shots at the rim) instead of Kelly Olynyk and Trey Lyles off the bench. Both Lyles and Olynyk appeared off on both ends of the court during the first half. This all led to Australia’s field goal percentage dipping to 47 for the game, and giving up 18 turnovers to fuel Canada’s transition game. The Canadians led by 10 at one point in the third.

Test #3: Closing Strong

Numerous guys stepped up after Canada’s lead was cut to two beginning the fourth. Shai only attempted 10 shots (8-10, 16 points) but what can a defender really do about this?

Barrett’s consistency continues to be a staple. He finished with 24 points after 23 in the Olympic opener against Greece and it usually looks the same. Bully ball mentality drives, with some spot up threes and secondary playmaking mixed in. He has found his niche since being traded to the Raptors.

RJ also added seven rebounds and five assists. My personal favorite play from him in this game was simply drawing a foul after driving nearly the full length of the court while bouncing off a couple of Australian players pinball style.

For a final dagger, Canada led by seven in the final seconds before Brooks hit a late three for the 10 point victory. Australia had already conceded, opting not to foul to give Canada free points. Brooks took them anyway to help out the point differential.

Sidenotes

• While Canada was struggling to defend in the first half, Brooks tried to get extra physical.

He also made a bold claim postgame. Whether its true or not, you have to love the mentality and edge Brooks consistently brings to Canada basketball, dating back to his FIBA run last year.

• Murray (5 pts, 2-7 FG, 5 ast) has closed out both games but it’s clear he hasn’t found his rhythm yet. He made his first step back three which looked pretty. However Murray basically attempted that same shot four more times. He has a much bigger offensive bag than to just take tough threes. This wasn’t the game for Olynyk but maybe implementing some of the dribble handoff sets Murray does with Nikola Jokic in Denver as a dual shooting threat would spark a two man game to get both guys on track off the bench? Just food for thought. To his credit, Murray hit a tough midrange jumper over Mills to extend Canada’s lead down the stretch.
• Canada clinches a spot in the quarterfinals if Germany defeats Brazil today (3pm ET tipoff). If that happens, beating Spain and clinching as high as seed as possible for a more favourable matchup in the knockout rounds is still paramount. “If we look too far ahead and play complacent, we could end up losing. We don’t want to do that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said postgame.

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