When the final draw came out for the Paris 2024 men’s basketball competition at the Olympic Games, many wondered how Canada would fare at their first appearance at the event in 24 years.
Turns out, there wasn’t all that much to worry about.
After being drawn into a group with Australia, Greece, and Spain — three countries all with varying histories of international basketball success — Canada closed out their group stage on Friday on top of the group.
The country’s latest victory came in the form of a win over the Spaniards, with Canada winning by an 88-85 score. Though things got tight in the second half, Canada picked up an 11-point halftime lead with a 30-point second quarter, and they carried that momentum through the final buzzer.
Basketball 🏀: le Canada 🇨🇦 gagne son match contre l’Espagne 🇪🇸 88-85 et termine au sommet du groupe A de la phase de groupe.@CanBball #Paris2024 #jeuxolympiques #RCsports #Basketball pic.twitter.com/3Lr2BOD1ob
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) August 2, 2024
Though things got tight late with Spain pushing the lead to as close as just one point, Raptors forward RJ Barrett hit a massive three-point shot in the final minute to give Canada a bit of a cushion.
With 19 points, Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for the Canadians, while Andrew Nembhard added 18 points as well.
Canada’s next match is the quarterfinal, which will take place on Tuesday, August 6. Following the conclusion of the group stage, Canada will find out its opponent following the final round robin matches tomorrow, though it has put itself in a great position as one of the top three seeds heading into the knockout stages.
Canadian basketball has seen a revolution on the men’s side over the last few years, with the country winning bronze at last year’s FIBA World Cup.
The Canadian Olympic women’s team, however, haven’t had quite the same success. They fell 70-65 in Thursday’s contest against the Australians, coupled with a 75-54 loss earlier in the tournament to hosts France. They face Nigeria on Monday for what could be their final game of the tournament. They need to be one of the top two third-place teams to advance to the quarterfinal in the 12-team event.