LILLE (France) - With Rui Hachimura out of the Olympics due to a left calf injury, Japan had a hard time matching up with Brazil's physicality. Meanwhile, even though Brazil were up the entire game, they still had to push the tempo to improve their total points difference.
It finished 102-84, Brazil improve to 1-2 and -7, while Japan are out of contention for the Quarter-Finals with an 0-3 record.
The victory was sizable enough to later clinch Brazil a spot in the Quarter-Finals as one of the two best third-placed teams in each group.
Turning point
Brazil had an 11-point lead at the half thanks to their sublime shooting, knocking down 11-of-13 from beyond the arc, including Vitor Benite connecting three straight as part of an 11-0 run late in the second quarter.
But Japan had a response from beyond the arc after the break, knocking down six three-pointers in the third stanza, making it a one-possession game as the fourth quarter started.
With all the hot shooting from both sides, it was actually Brazil's defense which secured the win. A monster block by Bruno Caboclo on Yuta Watanabe's dunk attempt stunned the crowd, and his three-pointer at the other end made it 88-80 with five to play.
That made it clear Brazil would win this one, but they kept putting pressure on Japan with Marcelinho Huertas's playcalling to end the game at +18.
Game hero
It's a different ball game when Bruno Caboclo is not in foul trouble. Coach Aco Petrovic loves using him as a "five" man, and his endless wingspan is causing problems on both ends of the floor.
The 28-year-old had 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, with 17 rebounds and an efficiency rating of 43. And this block. Check it out:
This was the first time he went north of 30 in points for the national team.
"He is (sensational). When he isn't in foul trouble, he gives us so much on both ends of the floor, he's a big threat, from the three-point line, in the low post, rolling to the basket, defensively he covers so much space and helps everybody. Whenever he's in, it's just a whole different game for Brazil," Marcelinho praised him afterwards.
Honorable mention: Vitor Benite with 19 points in 20 minutes off the bench, hitting 5-of-7 from deep.
Stats don't lie
It's a long tournament, and having a deep bench is vital for any kind of run. Brazil got a 39-18 advantage from their second unit on the day.
Bottom line
Japan aren't a one-man show with Hachimura, they haven't been a one-man show for a long time, and their last quarter plus overtime against France, and this game proved that with the whole world watching.
Josh Hawkinson and Yuki Kawamura were sensational, combining for 47 points.
Brazil now have to play the waiting game. France and Germany will be one and two from this group no matter what, but Brazil could make it through to the Quarter-Finals as one of the two best third-placed teams from all groups.
They probably won't know the answer to that one until the very last game of the group stage, when Serbia take on South Sudan in Group C on Saturday.
They said
"Rollercoaster, man! We had a good lead for certain amount of time during the game but they always managed to come back. A team that has an unbelievable threat from the three-point line, guys playing with high confidence. They had an amazing game, not only today, but an amazing tournament. The advantage was over ten points for a lot of times during the game, then under five really quickly, so we had to manage our emotions. In the last five minutes we were able to be a little bit more aggressive, make other players make plays, and it was difficult for them when we took away their two main players." - Marcelinho Huertas, Brazil
"Today I was able to play a lot and stay on the court, unlike the previous games. I couldn't more than 12, 13 minutes, so that was the key, I was able to stay on the court more and help my team." - Caboclo on avoiding foul trouble in this one
"We knew August 2 would be the date that determines our Quarter-Finals fate." - Aco Petrovic, Brazil
"I was aware of his game, I knew he could pop and shoot the ball and do an amazing job. We had to adjust our defense because he made three shots in a row, and we were able to adjust it. He was able to make one more, but we changed it once again, so it was a great plan from the coaches." - Caboclo on his matchup with Josh Hawkinson
"We knew since we won the (FIBA Olympic Qualifying) Tournament in Latvia that August 2 would be the date that determines our Quarter-Finals fate. Our whole goal was to wait for this day, to get Raulzinho back as one of our best players, and everything was a build up for this moment. We had tough times against France and Germany because of Bruno's foul trouble, and today he showed how important he is for us. In our game against Germany, we were +14 with Bruno on the floor. So if we were +14 against the world champs, I couldn't imagine what would've happened if we had him for 30 minutes. Maybe we wouldn't win that one, but the final difference would've been closer. We're not so deep that we could just erase one player of his quality from our rotation. That's why I'm happy for him today." - coach Aco Petrovic praising Caboclo
"We did our part. Now we're waiting for Serbia's against South Sudan, and I feel like they have a good matchup against them." - Petrovic knowing Serbia's win would send Brazil to the Quarter-Finals
"If we could shoot 8-of-8 in that first quarter against Latvia in Latvia, if we could shoot 11-of-13 in the first half today, who could stop us from dreaming that we could repeat something similar in the Quarter-Finals if we get there, no matter the opponent." - Petrovic emphasizing the job's not done for Brazil
Quick notes
This was Brazil's second biggest win at the Olympics in this century, as they beat China 98-59 in 2012
This was the first time Brazil got to triple digits since their game against Korea in 1996 (127-97)
Brazil and Japan combined for 33 three-pointers, second most in Olympics history, after USA and Nigeria had 35 threes in 2012
Yuki Kawamura had 21 points and 10 assists, while Josh Hawkinson had 26 points and 10 rebounds, making it the first time two teammates had 20-point double-doubles in a game with no overtime since the start of the 1996 tournament
Bruno Caboclo became the first player with more than 30 points and more than 15 rebounds in a game since Spain's Clifford Luyk had 31 points and 17 rebounds against West Germany in 1972
FIBA