Bruno Caboclo scored 33 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as Brazil defeated Japan 102-84 on Friday, keeping their hopes alive for the quarterfinals of the Olympic men’s basketball tournament.
Vitor Benite contributed 19 points for Brazil, which finished third in Group B behind France and Germany.
The top two teams from each of the three groups advance to the quarterfinals automatically. The final two spots are given to the best third-place teams from group play.
Caboclo had been limited by foul trouble in Brazil’s earlier losses to France and Germany. He did not score against France and had only six points in 12 minutes against Germany before fouling out. This time, he stayed on the court and made a big impact.
“This is the biggest stage of basketball,” said the 28-year-old Caboclo, who played seven NBA seasons with Toronto, Sacramento, Memphis, and Houston from 2014 to 2021. “The international team I think is bigger than NBA.
The Olympics is the biggest in the world. Every athlete wants to be here at least one time. We were able to accomplish that. Hopefully we can go to the quarterfinals.”
Josh Hawkinson led Japan with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Yuki Kawamura added 21 points and 10 assists.
Japan played without its top scorer Rui Hachimura, who left France after injuring his left calf during an overtime loss to France, according to Japan’s basketball federation. Japan lost all three of its games in pool play and has been eliminated.
The United States (Group C) and Canada (Group A) had already qualified for the knockout round.
It was a contest between big men, with Caboclo and Hawkinson exchanging baskets throughout. Caboclo scored 15 of Brazil’s first 31 points, helping them build a 16-point lead in the third quarter. Japan made a comeback and closed to 77-73 entering the fourth quarter.
Yudai Baba cut the deficit to 82-80 with just over seven minutes left, but Brazil finished the game with a 22-4 run.
