Gilgeous-Alexander, Towns drop first game of second round at World Cup

Canada and the Dominican Republic both breezed through the opening round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, but the second round is already proving far more difficult. Both countries went a perfect 3-0 in their respective groups before losing in upset fashion during the Round of 16 on Friday morning. Canada and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were bested by Brazil 69-65 while Karl-Anthony Towns, Eloy Vargas, and the Dominican Republic were beaten by Puerto Rico 102-97.

Let’s start with Gilgeous-Alexander and the No. 15-ranked Canadians, which were stunned by No. 13 Brazil. Despite leading by as many as 10 points in the closing seconds of the third quarter, Canada blew this game away. Brazil stormed back to take the lead with roughly two minutes left. Their advantage reached 64-60 soon after and that was all she wrote.

But SGA was still spectacular in the loss. He’s been arguably the second-best player in this entire event and was near the top of his game once again against Brazil. The former Kentucky point guard finished with a game-high 23 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists on 8-18 shooting in nearly 34 minutes (also a game-high). Lu Dort chipped in 17 points, but no one else reached double-digits in scoring for Canada.

Moving on to Towns, Vargas, and the No. 23-ranked Dominican Republic, they scored nearly 30 more points than Canada, but still couldn’t muster up enough offense to beat No. 20 Puerto Rico down the stretch. The Puerto Ricans were fueled by 37 points from former LSU guard Tremont Waters, who was aided by four other players in double-figures. DR led by eight at one point in the fourth quarter before Puerto Rico rattled off 10 straight to take the lead back. A three-pointer with 31 seconds left gave PR a 98-95 lead, which it never relinquished.

KAT was still the best player on the hardwood though — better than Waters, even. He poured in a ridiculous 39 points in under 32 minutes of action, adding 10 rebounds and two blocks to his stat line. The former Wildcat big man was firing at will, shooting a combined 13-27 from the field (4-11 from deep, 9-9 from the free throw line). This was just the second time ever in World Cup history that two players on opposite teams scored more than 35 points. However, Towns would have likely preferred the win over the individual stats.

As for Vargas, he was limited to just seven minutes off the bench. Other than picking up two personal fouls, he failed to record any stats for DR.

These untimely losses will put a strain on both teams when it comes to advancing into the single-elimination quarterfinals. Canada and the DR entered the Round of 16 at the top of their groups and in full control of their destiny — win, and you’re in. Simple enough.

But losses on Friday complicate that. Now, all four squads in Canada’s Group L hold a 3-1 record while all four in the Dominican Republic’s Group I also sit on 3-1 records. Both countries now have to win in their final second-round games on Sunday morning to make the quarterfinals. A loss knocks them out of medal contention entirely.

Canada will take on top-ranked Spain (9:30 a.m. EST) while DR goes up against No. 6 Serbia (8:00 a.m. EST). You can watch both games live on ESPN+.