TORONTO – After knocking off Canada in its GLOBL JAM opener Wednesday, Brazil executed tidy offence to easily dispatch Japan in their second game Thursday.
They flowed smoothly from action to action, with quick decision making and savvy reads allowing them to keep Japan at arms length and ultimately pull away with a 78-52 win at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Brazil knocked down its open shots and Gabriel Landeira led the way with 17 points and four assists. João Gluck and Pedro Pastre added 15 and 13, respectively, with each going 3-of-4 from three-point range.
Brazil had 21 assists to Japan’s seven and made 11-of-23 three-point attempts (47.8 per cent).
“The easiest way to play against them is passing the ball, getting cuts, off-ball screens, so we can open situations and get some distance,” said Landeira after the win. “You can shoot (or) drive to the basket. We like to play like that, we play as a team like that and just have fun.”
Yuto Kawashima scored a team-high 17 for Japan, mostly on drives to the hoop, finishing an efficient 8-of-14.
Kawashima drove off a keeper play for a clean layup and lead guard Ryosei Sato pushed off a live rebound and found Koko Hirose streaking to the bucket for a reverse as Japan kept the score level early.
Wednesday’s leading scorer for Brazil, Nathan Mariano, made little impact, going scoreless and only attempting two shots. But the 21-year-old pro did navigate into the paint and find João Gluck for a pick-and-pop triple. Soon after, Gluck canned another catch-and-shoot three on strong ball movement out of a broken play.
Japan’s Riku Segawa and Brazil’s Daniel Onwenu traded deft finishes on fast-paced drives to the bucket, making the score 14-12 Brazil.
Brazil played a more complex style of halfcourt offence, with plenty of off-ball screening, handoffs with options and choice cuts.
In contrast, Japan played a drive-kick-swing style of offence, with their primary ball-handlers Sato and Kawashima looking to create off the dribble.
Brazil ran twirl action, drawing help and opening up Pastre for a catch-and-shoot triple. Shawn Marion Williams cashed a three of his own going the other way for Japan.
While Japan struggled to generate advantages off the bounce, Brazil’s movement offence generated open threes for Onwenu and Landeira and a lob to a rolling Bruno Cardoso for a dunk. Even when their set plays broke down, Onwenu managed to make something out of nothing, driving at his defender and hitting a fading two at the elbow. The six-foot-five guard finished with 11 points.
Sato got to the middle with his dribble and made a tough, contested two and Kawashima drained a spot-up three off a drive and kick from Sato the next possession keeping Japan afloat.
But Brazil was able to generate high-quality shots with much greater consistency. On the final possession of the first half swift ball movement set up Gluck for an open corner three and he drilled it to beat the buzzer and put Brazil up 41-26.
“When you got a wide-open shot, just take it. Everybody believes in you, everybody believes in the other guy,” said Landeira. “When I’m open, but I have another teammate that’s like, wide-open, like more open than me, just (make) the extra pass and you gotta knock it down.”
Segawa came off a handoff at the top of the floor and knocked down a three and made another to start the fourth, keeping Japan in the game. They turned up the pressure on defence in the final quarter with aggressive help and digs, attempting to mount a comeback. Japan’s bench became vocal, cheering and groaning with each success and failure.
Kawashima’s drives came like rain after a drought, providing a lifeline to a Japan offence bereft of bucket-getters.
But Brazil’s crisp ball movement prevailed, setting up yet another open corner three, this time for Gabriel Landeira. After a Japan timeout, backcourt pressure from Brazil forced a steal setting Landeira up with an open layup and extending the lead past 20.
A game-high 12-point run for the Brazilians capped a complete effort, sending them into their marquee matchup with the Georgetown Hoyas Saturday with a 2-0 record in the tournament.
Brazil will play the Georgetown Hoyas, representing the USA at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT on Saturday. Japan will take on host Canada at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT.
