Basketball

Latvia, Germany, Montenegro, Canada, Lithuania Reach Round 2; Japan Defeats Finland for First Win

AP
Japan forward Yuta Watanabe (12), center back, and guard Yuki Kawamura (5) celebrate after defeating Finland in the Basketball World Cup group E match in Okinawa on Sunday.

The Associated Press

2:02 JST, August 28, 2023

France came to the World Cup planning to win gold. It won’t even make the second round, an absolutely stunning development for the reigning Olympic silver medalists.

Latvia got 22 points from Arturs Zagars and shocked France 88-86 Sunday night in a Group H game at Jakarta, Indonesia. The result sent Latvia and Canada through to the second round, and meant France — which won the bronze at the last two World Cups — cannot finish better than 17th place this year.

GROUP E — JAPAN 98, FINLAND 88

At Okinawa, Joshua Hawkinson scored 28 points for Japan (1-1) as it put together an overwhelming fourth quarter to beat Finland (0-2) and eliminate the Finns from knockout-stage contention.

Japan outscored Finland 38-15 in the final 10:03, erasing what was a 13-point deficit. Yuki Kawamura scored 25 for Japan, including a three-point play with 4:35 left that gave the hosts the lead for good. He added a 3-pointer about 40 seconds later and Japan pulled away.

Lauri Markkanen topped Finland with 27 points and 12 rebounds.

Japan faces Australia on Tuesday