On a day when the usually stable and consistent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander couldn’t get it going, Team Canada showed just how impactful the overall influx of NBA talent has been for the program.
Canada’s men’s basketball team took down Puerto Rico 103-93 in its final tune-up game ahead of the Paris Olympics on Sunday behind steadying double-digit performances from guys like Trey Lyles and Dillon Brooks.
Lyles, who didn’t suit up with the team for their bronze-medal-winning FIBA World Cup run, proved an important piece against Puerto Rico. He finished with 15 points and five rebounds in 14 minutes and gave the somewhat undersized team a six-foot-nine forward capable of stretching the floor and playing within the team’s space-dependent sets.
Brooks, who always seems to step it up for international play, came through with a team-high 21 points and five rebounds while Toronto Raptor RJ Barrett followed it up with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists while putting up a game-high +25 plus-minus.
Dogged Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado led Puerto Rico with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists while hounding Gilgeous-Alexander for most of the game. Shooting guard Gian Clavell added 19 while forward Isaiah Pineiro scored 14 and kept the game close early on.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s inability to beat his man was the story for a good chunk of the game, particularly in the first half. Though he finished with 14 points and six assists, it took him some time to get going. He scored his first points of the game with 1:14 left in the first half.
That lack of scoring contributed to a tight game at the break, with Canada only leading by six. Lyles’s 13 first-half points had kept the team’s head above water at that point.
However, a 21-0 run to open the third quarter blew the game wide open as the plethora of defensive options — from starters Brooks and Luguentz Dort to bench players Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Andrew Nembhard — gave guys like Alvarado a taste of their own medicine.
Though some lapses from the bench unit late in the quarter allowed Puerto Rico to get back into it, Canada sealed the deal by sending the starters back out to rebuild an 18-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Canada’s depth came in handy as the team still tried to figure out how to get guard Jamal Murray going.
The Nuggets star was unavailable for the team’s tune-up game against France on Friday. He was away from the team for some time earlier this week due to a personal matter.
Despite being available on Sunday against Puerto Rico, the Kitchener, Ont., native played only seven minutes and was held scoreless. He managed to pick up four assists and was a +9 on the night, but went 0-for-2 from the field.
Canada’s Olympic run begins on July 27 at 3 p.m. ET as they take on Greece and superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.