(Grenada) Despite 13 points from Quebecer Luguentz Dort, the Canadians missed their last preseason game for the Basketball World Cup, losing 94-88 to the Dominican Republic on Friday.
Trae Bell-Haynes had 12 points, while R.J. Barrett and Dillon Brooks added 10 each.
Karl-Anthony Towns and LJ Figueroa led the charge for the Dominicans with 20 points.
Canada are 3-2 at the end of this preseason schedule. In the only other loss — 96-81 to Germany — Dort also led the Maple Leaf in scoring with 14 points.
Head coach Jordi Fernandez, who has been careful to give all his players playing time, believes his team is ready.
“I think we still have work to do and that’s to be expected,” he said. We have no experience in this kind of tournament as a group, and we are young, but I trust these players and the way they work. »
“I know we’re going to fight for every game. All we can do is give ourselves a chance. »
The Canadians will be one of 32 teams taking part in the Worlds, which begin next week. In Group H, they will face France on August 25, Lebanon on August 27 and Latvia on August 29 in the Philippines.
Canada have reached the playoffs six times in 14 appearances, posting two sixth-place finishes as their best results, in 1978 and 1982. Last time, in 2019, the Canadiens finished 21st.
The team will get their ticket to the Paris Olympics in 2024 if they finish among the top two nations in America.
