Yago dos Santos, Gui Carvalho open up on NBA influences, Brazil's plan vs. Canada / News - Basketnews.com

Brazil needed Yago dos Santos' crucial plays and a solid defensive plan to force Team Canada to its first loss in the World Cup. The undersized point guard and his teammate, Gui Carvalho, explain that their big win was also a matter of familiarity with NBA players.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

When the going got tough for Brazil in this World Cup, Yago dos Santos got going. The point guard of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade made two layups against Canada's frontline in less than 50 seconds.

Player of the Game EFF 29 Bruno Caboclo Points 19 Accuracy 7-13 Rebounds 13 Assists 0

Both were identical, as the undersized guard drove to the basket, defying the bodies that stood in front of him -- especially in the first of the two plays.

This sort of basketball audacity is an innate feature that several guards have developed, but Yago's achievements against Team Canada went way further than sealing the game. The 24-year-old finished with 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 10 assists, facing NBA players on his way to another double-double.

Yago knows it will be tough for him to play in the world's top league anytime soon. However, his rise and progress has been steady and have allowed him to go up against much bigger opponents, and names.

"It was a good matchup, a good fight for me," he told reporters in the mixed zone of the Indonesia Arena in Jakarta after Brazil beat Canada 69-65, in a result that keeps the South American side afloat in the tournament. In case the Brazilians manage to beat Latvia on Sunday, they will have increased chances of making it to the World Cup quarter-finals.

Yago lives for those moments and enjoys playing against NBA players because that's his dream.

"I want to play there," he said. "I wanted to win this match for me, for my life, and for Brazil," he continued in broken English.

Yago added that he watches NBA games on a regular basis, especially whenever Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is playing.

"I like the NBA and I watch Shai every time. He's my style of player, even though he's different than me. I take 5% of Facundo [Campazzo], I take 5% of Shai and that's good for me," he explained.

Brazil / Schedule

Iran Brazil59-100 Brazil Spain78-96 Ivory Coast Brazil77-89 Canada Brazil65-69 Brazil LatviaSun09:45

"Shai is an All-Star player. I talked to him during the game. I told him, 'Very good game, enjoy.' I played in the Nike Hoops Summit five years ago with RJ Barrett and I talk to him every time I see him at our hotel. He's a good guy. Canada has good players," the virtuoso point guard argued.

Yago's favorite NBA players range from Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic to Shai Alexander "because he makes buckets every time," Chris Paul, and Kyrie Irving.

"They have the ball all the time and sometimes they pass and sometimes they score," he stressed.

Fresh off a great breakout season in Germany that vaulted him into the EuroLeague, Dos Santos had a spell at the NBA Summer League with the Chicago Bulls. He didn't get an NBA contract, but the experience was instrumental in many ways.

"Summer League was good for me because it was next level. I don't speak very good English, but there, I listened and talked more. Basketball is different there, it's more offense every time," he said. "I needed that for my game, for my club and my national team. Chicago people were very good to me."

Yago's teammate, Gui Carvalho dos Santos, called his floor general "a nice guy." "That's why he's playing like that," Santos, 21, added.

"He had a little bit of Summer League experience. So, that helped him play against those guys."

But Carvalho himself was also familiar with some of the players he faced in the game against Canada. Being a part of the Golden State Warriors Summer affiliate team (Santa Cruz Warriors) has allowed him to know how they like to play.

"We did a good job taking them out of their comfort zone. Shai is a tremendous player. He can be a 3-point threat, hit the midrange shot and make layups. So, our plan was just one more player on him. You got to be in front of him and make him pass the ball. We know he's not a selfish player, so we used it in our favor."

Shai did pass the ball whenever he wasn't shooting it (8/18 from the field, 5/5 from the stripe). But his 23 points didn't hurt the Brazilians, mainly because except for Lu Dort, no other player was able to contribute offensively. The two NBA stars made 40 of Canada's 65 points on a bad shooting night for the losing side.

Carvalho, on the other hand, scored 10 points, his best tally in the tournament so far.

"We knew that Canada was a tough team to play against. So, we made a couple of adjustments in our game. We didn't let them play fast and we slowed the game down, making them take shots they didn't want to take," he commented.

Apart from squaring off with NBA players, Yago really fancied the atmosphere in the arena. It didn't come close to what he's going to experience next year in Belgrade and some other EuroLeague arenas, but the crowd was involved in the game and even booed Gilgeous-Alexander when he went to shoot a couple of free throws.

"The atmosphere here's crazy," Yago raved. "It's the same as in Brazil. People like basketball and call my name. I get more confidence."

"We had the underdog status since the competition started," Gui Carvalho uttered. "That's really good for us."

Latvia can say exactly the same. The two teams will play each other on Sunday in a decisive game, while Canada will face Spain. Every team can qualify and any team can be eliminated. Yago, for one, would enjoy the suspense.

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