With the knockout stage here at the FIBA World Cup, one of the top teams who can pose a threat to Team USA is Canada. Led by rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Canada was facing a must-win situation on Sunday against Spain. A loss would have eliminated Canada from the 2023 FIBA World Cup knockout stage. Not only did Canada qualify for the knockout stage, they also qualified for the 2024 Olympics by finishing with a top two record. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 30 points, it was Houston Rockets wing Dillon Brooks who came up clutch in the fourth quarter. Following the game, he was bestowed hefty praise from his Canada teammate as per Holly MacKenzie of Sportsnet.

Dillon Brooks has been an often maligned player during his NBA career. He has run afoul of the league with some of his on court antics and he faced an automatic suspension last season for accumulating technical fouls. He's also been criticized for some of his responses to media such as during the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs when he gave extra motivation to the Los Angeles Lakers.

But he came through when Canada needed him in a must-win game. Considering what was at stake, Brooks' performance was even more significant. He finished with 24 points on 8-12 shooting from the field and was able to overcome early foul trouble.

Canada trailed by ten at the half and rallied to pull off the 88-85 win. They had won their first three games of the tournament, but a shocking loss to Brazil made this a must-win game. They will now advance to the quarterfinals where they will face Luka Doncic and Slovenia.