Team USA’s roster in the 2023 FIBA World Cup is full of NBA stars. Notably, the team has players like Anthony Edwards, Austin Reaves, Mikal Bridges, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, and so forth. However, after a strong start, Team USA failed to reach the Final. Furthermore, they were forced to fight for the third place against Canada. Despite this, they were given a hero’s welcome ahead of the third-place game. But that did not help, and the Americans lost the game, much to the dismay of their fans.

Considering the star-studded lineup, many expected Team USA to win the trophy this year after not winning a medal in the previous tournament. Similarly, there were huge expectations for Canada as well.

Fans cheered for Austin Reaves, Anthony Edwards, and the team

Team USA has some of the most popular basketball players in the world. Given their popularity, many flocked to their games and cheered the team. Ahead of the game against Canada for third place, Austin Reaves and other stars from the team entered the court with a huge cheer from the fans.

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Notably, given the whole host of Los Angeles Lakers fans in the host countries, Reaves has received huge support throughout the tournament. Even though he is not a starter, Reaves has come up huge with his scoring prowess. Interestingly, after witnessing the love for the guard, Anthony Edwards was seen hyped about it.

That was the case for the Lakers star in today’s game as well when his name was announced. The World Cup’s official social media handle posted a video clip of Reaves entering the court with the caption, “For one last time, Manila greeted their USA favorite, Austin Reaves”. Fans expressed their love for the star in the comment section as well. However, the excitement for Reaves, and the USA was short-lived as Canada won the game 118-127 in overtime.

Canada defeated Team USA for third place

After suffering a shocking defeat at the hands of Germany in the Semi-Final, fans wanted Team USA to redeem themselves with a third-place finish. On the other hand, Canada was looking to win their first medal since the 1930s after a shocking loss to Serbia in the Semi-Final. Once again, most fans would have picked the USA to win the matchup given their squad. However, Canada came prepared.

The Canadians led by Shai-Gilgeous Alexander started the game strong and earned a 9-point lead in the first quarter. Team USA came back in the next period to cut the deficit. Canada again had a good quarter, but Team USA showed resilience in the fourth quarter. In crunch time, Mikal Bridges made a free throw, missed the second one on purpose, got his own rebound, and hit a clutch fade-away 3-pointer to tie things.

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With less than a second left, Canada could not make a shot and the game went into overtime. Canada then controlled the overtime outscoring Team USA 7-16 as per FIBA to clinch the Bronze medal. Notably, Mikal Bridges, who is known for his defense and trash talking, erupted for 39 points and helped his nation get the victory. Despite the recent criticism about his scoring, Brooks showed the world that he can step up his game when required.

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