QUEBEC (Canadá) – Canada continues to march steadily toward the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027. And on an important night, two of their top NBA stars helped bring the team even closer to thier goal. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luguentz Dort led Canada to a 97-92 win over Argentina on Monday in the final game of Window 4 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Americas Qualifiers. Alexander-Walker led the offense with 26 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block, while Dort added 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 4-of-9 from three-point range, along with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
The victory kept Canada perfect at 8-0, making them the only unbeaten team in the region and leaving them one step closer to securing their place in Qatar. However, the Bahamas' win over Panama prevented Canada from clinching qualification on Monday. This means they will have to wait until the next window in November to do so. For Dort, the night carried special meaning. The game was played at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, where he was born. This allowed him to celebrate his outstanding performance in front of family members and fans who watched him grow up. The forward also used this occasion to begin building a partnership that will continue in the NBA. Alexander-Walker and Dort will be teammates with the Atlanta Hawks next season after Dort joined the team this summer from the Oklahoma City Thunder. “Nickeil is one of my best friends. We played on the same high school team and I've played against him my whole life,” Dort said after the game. “When I got the call, I was very happy. He has helped me throughout the whole transition. I'm grateful to have him on my team now.” The connection between the two also has a special link to the Canadian national team. Dort was teammates with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City, where they won the 2024-25 NBA championship. Gilgeous-Alexander is also Alexander-Walker's cousin. Dort is a defensive specialist and an NBA All-Defensive First Team selection during Oklahoma City's championship season. Against Argentina, he proved that his impact can go far beyond defense. Alexander-Walker was just named the NBA's Most Improved Player after averaging 20.8 points, 3.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals for Atlanta. Important contributions also came from Mfiondu Kabengele, who posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. In addition, Marcus Carr added 14 points and 8 assists, while Kelly Olynyk added 11 points.
Argentina is now 6-2, thanks to an extraordinary performance from Nicolás Laprovíttola. The point guard scored 31 points, including 8 three-pointers on 12 attempts, and his 8 made threes tied the record for most three-pointers made in a single game in the Americas Qualifiers. John Jenkins (USA) and Kassius Robertson (Canada) have also made eight in the past. But the night ultimately belonged to Canada and, in particular, to the two players ready to take their connection from the national team to Atlanta. In Quebec, Alexander-Walker and Dort not only kept Canada's unbeaten run alive; they also offered a preview of what the Hawks can expect from them next season.
FIBA