Canada guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) battles for the possession of the ball against Spain forward Rudy Fernandez (5) during the Basketball World Cup second round match between Spain and Canada at the Indonesia Arena stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023. Canada is set to take on Slovenia today in the quarterfinals of the FIBA Men's Basketball World Cup. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Achmad Ibrahim
MANILA, Philippines – Canada is set to take on Slovenia today in the quarterfinals of the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup.
Led by all-NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the 15th-ranked Canadians enter the contest having gone 4-1 through the first two rounds of group play. They most recently scored an 88-85 comeback win over top-ranked defending champion Spain.
Sunday’s victory earned Canada its first Olympic berth since 2000 for the Paris 2024 Games.
Luka Doncic leads the seventh-ranked Slovenians, who also went 4-1 in group action. The 24-year-old all-NBA guard is the tournament’s leading scorer at 26.4 points per game.
However, Slovenia is coming off a 100-71 loss to 11th-ranked Germany.
The winner of the quarterfinal matchup will face sixth-ranked Serbia in Friday’s semifinals.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2023.
