As Team Canada entered the group stage, head coach Jordi Fernandez elected to put the Oklahoma City Thunder defensive ace Lu Dort into the starting five in place of Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray. This put the OKC Thunder dynamic duo into the same lineup again.

From there, the Canadians rattled off a 3-0 record in Group A which was deemed the group of death heading into this stage and the Thunder duo helped them earn an unblemished record. This impressive stat shows how dominant this lineup change has been.

Canada’s starters which included Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Dillon Brooks, RJ Barrett and Dwight Powell have outscored opponents by 39 points in 25 minutes through three games. They’ve also held opponents to 21.4% shooting from the field.

Their suffocating defense has been key to their Group play victories which has set them up nicely for the knockout stage starting with their matchup against France and Victor Wembanyama.

Being able to suffocate teams and turn defense into offense outscoring quality opponents such as Greece, Australia and Spain who boast multiple NBA players is always a good sign for their quest to earn a medal after earning Bronze in the FIBA World Cup a summer ago.

The Oklahoma City Thunder duo continue to power Team Canada and project to do the same for their NBA club as the Thunder are the franchise is pegged to win the Western Conference this season.

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