Canada sets FIBA World Cup assists record in rout over Lebanon

Canada's senior men's national team made FIBA World Cup history in a 128-73 victory over Lebanon on Sunday in Jakarta, Indonesia, as they moved to 2-0 in group play. 

With nine players in double figures, Canada shot 71 per cent from the floor, including 18-for-30 from beyond the arc, as they set a record for most assists in a World Cup game, recording 44 assists on 50 made field goals.

"We’re super excited that we kept our momentum going,” Trae Bell-Haynes said. “We talked about making sure that there wasn’t any fall off [after our win against France], keeping the momentum going and I think we did a good job.

"Our confidence is high. You could see everyone was playing well, playing free. Happy that we kept that going and hope we can continue to do that."

Canada dominated the entire game, leading by 16 after the first quarter and by 36 at the half. They extended their lead to 52 points after three, taking a 100-48 advantage into the final frame as they rolled to victory with all 11 available players logging minutes and no one playing more than 20 minutes in the game.

“We played together, we shared the basketball,” Team Canada head coach Jordi Fernández said. “44 assists to 15 turnovers is a record in the World Cup. It just shows that sharing is caring and these guys were ready to play the right way.”

RJ Barrett led the team with 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting, while Bell-Haynes had 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting, all three-point field goals, to go with eight assists.

Melvin Ejim had 13 points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 12 points and seven assists without a turnover in 16 minutes and Kelly Olynyk added 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists as he played just 17 minutes and Kyle Alexander and Dillon Brooks added 10 points apiece.

Omari Rasulala Spellman had 16 points and Karim Zeinoun added 15 points for Lebanon in the loss.

“It’s a big deal,” Bell-Haynes said of the extended minutes for reserves in the game, especially for players like himself and Phil Scrubb who played a large part in Canada qualifying for the World Cup by playing in the pre-qualifying windows. “Phil especially, he’s been here forever. He’s seen the ups and downs of the program.

"For me, I'm super excited, super proud to be here. We have some really good players, so [I’m] just being ready whenever my number is called.”

Bell-Haynes helped Canada to pull away in the opening quarter, hitting back-to-back three-pointers from the same corner to give Canada the 29-13 lead after the opening 10 minutes. 

Canada was lights out from deep, as Bell-Haynes hit his third three early in the second quarter. Ejim followed with a three, and then Bell-Haynes connected on yet another three to extend Canada’s lead to 25 points.

“Our three-point efficiency was very high,” Fernández said. “We shot 30 of them. The guys trusted the pass, trusted their teammates and it’s just beautiful to see that. When you can set a record it just says a lot about what these guys are trying to do. Obviously, they believe in themselves, but they show up every day and work very hard. That’s what matters the most.”

Canada had just 15 turnovers in the game while scoring 41 points off of Lebanon’s miscues. Canada’s reserves had 68 points in the win, and Canada outscored Lebanon 26-6 in fast break points, and 60-42 in points in the paint.

Another three from Ejim followed by threes for Scrubb and Alexander-Walker stretched the lead to 30 points with 4:46 remaining in the half. Zach Edey, the youngest player on Canada’s roster, scored immediately after checking into the game and then Gilgeous-Alexander scored through contact. 

A three from Brooks to beat the halftime buzzer put Canada ahead 66-30 at the break as Canada shot 11-for-18 from deep in the half and recorded 23 assists on 26 made field goals.

“Since we’ve gotten here, we’ve been passing the ball really well, sharing the ball really well,” Bell-Haynes said. “I think this game, we had a ton of assists so I think we’re growing offensively, trusting each other more. When you have a new group that’s kind of the hardest thing, but we’re doing that now.”

The Canadians continued to roll in the third. A steal from Brooks led to a dunk for Olynyk in transition and then a corner three from Barrett made it 73-33 Canada with 7:50 remaining in the third. On the other end, Barrett stepped in to take a charge. A steal and layup from Gilgeous-Alexander extended the lead to 44 points.

Canada started the second on a 17-3 run and extended the lead to 50 points on a windmill from Barrett in transition. A three-pointer for Alexander-Walker to close out the third quarter gave Canada a 100-48 lead heading into the fourth.

The threes continued to fall in the fourth with Bell-Haynes hitting his fifth three of the game and then Alexander-Walker hitting his fourth.

After an offensive putback from Alexander, Canada led 110-50 as Lebanon called a timeout with eight minutes remaining. With the outcome already decided, but point differential a factor at the World Cup, Canada continued to push until the final buzzer sounded.

Up next, the Canadians will face Latvia on Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 9:30 a.m. ET / 6:30 a.m. PT. Fans can catch all of the action live on Sportsnet and streaming on SN NOW.

”The most important game is the next game,” Fernández said. “Right now we have Latvia in our minds. We have to prepare for them. We’re going to play really hard against them for 40 minutes because they’re very good. We need that to grow. We don’t have the experience and we challenge ourselves to a high standard.

"Yes, I'm happy with what we’ve done, but what we’ve done is in the past. It just reinforces, it gives you confidence, but you need that next challenge and that next challenge is in front of us.”