Canada beats Germany in basketball exhibition
HAMBURG –
RJ Barrett scored 31 points and Canada came back to beat Germany 113-112 in overtime in the final of the DBB SuperCup, a warm-up basketball tournament for the upcoming FIBA World Cup.
The New York Knicks guard put in a near-perfect offensive performance, hitting 13 of the 14 shots he took including all four from three-point range.
Germany led by 12 points later in the third quarter, but Trae Bell-Hynes hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to cut the lead to nine starting the fourth.
Canada continued to chip away at the lead, and Barrett tied the game on a layup with 10 seconds remaining in regulation.
Another Barrett layup gave Canada a 113-110 lead with 90 seconds to go in overtime.
Franz Wagner cut the lead to one with just over a minute left, but Canada sealed the win when Moritz Wagner’s layup with four seconds was blocked by Canadian centre Kelly Olynyk and the rebound was corralled by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 25 points despite shooting 8-for-22 going 0-for-6 from three. He added eight rebounds and six assists. Olynyk finished with 21 points.
Guard Dennis Schroder, who recently signed with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, led Germany with 26 points.
The FIBA World Cup starts Aug. 25 in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. Canada plays France on opening day in Jakarta, Indonesia.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2023.
