Team USA played their first exhibition of the 2024 Paris Olympics cycle, defeating Canada led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, and Dillon Brooks 86-72. Brooks was instigating the USA players on the court and was salty about the loss, intentionally walking in front of Devin Booker while he was giving his post-game interview to cut him off.
https://twitter.com/geraldbourguet/status/1811266604183044108
Booker was one of the starters for Team USA during this exhibition win, putting up nine points on 4-6 shooting in 20 minutes of action. Brooks put up 10 points on 3-8 shooting from the field, going 4-5 at the free throw line. Brooks played aggressive defense for a friendly, allowing Canada to set the tone and jump out to an 11-1 lead.
The USA took control of the game in the second quarter and kept Canada out of reach until the final whistle. Even with the struggles of Joel Embiid, who fouled out after 12 minutes of action, the USA looked like a far superior side overall.
Brooks will carry on being the on-court menace he’s known to be in the NBA for the Canadian national team. He had heated moments during the 2023 FIBA World Cup for Canada, getting into it with Dennis Schroder. Canada will have to come out of a tough Group A, which will feature Australia, Greece, and Spain.
Team Canada Won’t Be Intimidated By The Star-led Team USA
Canada has produced some excellent basketball players but isn’t known as a basketball powerhouse. They’re in a golden generation of players right now, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the team to a Bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He’s surrounded by NBA players like Brooks, Jamal Murray, RJ Barret, Lu Dort, Kelly Olynyk, and Dwight Powell, among others.
Gilgeous-Alexander made it clear in March when Team USA was shaping up to be a superteam that Canada won’t be intimidated by the strength of the USA roster.
“No, I don’t worry at all. At the end of the day, they’re basketball players. Now, they may be some of the best in the world, but our team has some of the best in the world as well, and we don’t fear any of them. We play them all year. They’re the same basketball players. They sweat and bleed just like us, and the ball’s gonna tip, and at the end of the night, and you’re gonna find out who’s a better team. It’s whether you play USA or you play Lithuania, whether you play Spain, that’s what it comes down to. So for us, there’s no difference.”
That fire showed in the Canadian players in this exhibition, who opened up aggressively and put the USA on the back foot. The talent disparity was challenging to overcome as the USA took control, but Canada sent a message that they shouldn’t be taken lightly at the Olympics.
Canada will head to Blois, France to continue their training camp and play an exhibition game against France on July 19. Team USA will be headed to Abu Dhabi to play in showcase games against Australia and Serbia.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
