Robertson and Gilgeous-Alexander recorded their game total in less than 20 minutes of action. Robertson, who plays for the Obradeiro CAB in Spain, shot 61.5 percent from behind the arc (8-for-13) to cover all of his scoring. Gilgeous-Alexander, who sat most of the second half, shot an efficient 84.6 percent (11-for-13) from the floor. It was a second straight big outing for the Oklahoma City Thunder star guard, who scored 32 points in his national team debut, a 20-point win over the Dominican Republic on Friday in his hometown of Hamilton. Coach Nick Nurse started four of his NBA players — Gilgeous-Alexander, Utah guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dallas forward Dwight Powell and Detroit center Kelly Olynyk — plus Canadian veteran Melvin Ejim. Alexander-Walker had 7 assists with 11 points (three 3-pointers) and five rebounds, Powell had 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting and added six rebounds and Olynyk had 11 points, five rebounds and four steals. Thomas Schrapp added 13 points and five rebounds off the bench. Laron Smith led the US Virgin Islands with 14 points. This was the third of six FIBA World Cup qualifiers. The final trio is August 22-30, November 7-15 and February 20-28. Seven teams from FIBA America will play in the 2023 World Cup, in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. The 32-team World Cup is a direct qualifier for the Paris Olympics. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 4, 2022.
