LILLE (France) – Nobody was surprised among the 27,000 fans in the stands of the Pierre Mauroy Stadium that Canada and Australia went back and forth for 40 minutes.

After 13 lead changes and additional nine times that the score was tied, Canada timed their fourth quarter run to perfection to win this one 93-83.

They are now 2-0, Australia and Spain are at 1-1, while Greece are 0-2 with one game remaining for each team in Group A.

Turning point

It was a 74-72 game early in the fourth quarter, when Lu Dort took over defensively, not allowing Josh Giddey and Australia to run their offense at all.

That set the stage for Khem Birch and Dillon Brooks to push the lead to 78-72, with RJ Barrett knocking down a big three-pointer to put the game out of Australia’s reach at 81-72 with five minutes on the game clock.

The Boomers gave it their all to make it interesting late in the game, but instead of closing the final gap, they allowed Dillon Brooks to get a late three-pointer which could potentially hurt them in the final standings.

Game hero

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is easily the biggest star on this team, but RJ Barrett has been amazing for coach Jordi Fernandez since they arrived in Lille. Back-to-back games with 20+ points, preserving that Barrett family Olympian legacy 24 years after his dad was a major figure for the Canadian team which reached the Quarter-Finals of the Sydney Olympics.

Barrett had 24 points on the day, with three threes made in six attempts, he grabbed 7 rebounds, dished out 5 assists and stole the ball twice. His efficiency rating of 28 was a team-high by some distance.

Stats don’t lie

Best way to sum up the way Canada pressures you defensively: They forced 18 Australian turnovers, had 11 steals, creating a 28-10 advantage in points from turnovers.

In a close game like this, that’s more than enough to create separation.

Bottom line

Canada aren’t just a one-trick wonder, and have proven now that they have multiple scorers when needed. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting, Dillon Brooks scored 16, Lu Dort 11.

For Australia, Josh Giddey was once again the main man with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, while Jock Landale finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

But at 1-1 now, they are playing a tough game against Greece on the final game day, chasing a place in the Quarter-Finals.

FIBA