France secured an 82-73 victory over Canada in the quarterfinals of the Olympic men’s basketball tournament on Tuesday, fending off a strong second-half effort from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Canadian team. The win sets up a semifinal clash against undefeated Germany on Thursday.
The French team started strong, limiting Canada to just 10 points in the first quarter. They built a significant lead, going up by 19 points early in the third quarter. Canada fought back, narrowing the gap to five points with 2:14 remaining in the game. However, France’s Evan Fournier scored five consecutive points to close out the contest in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.
Despite a challenging game for superstar Victor Wembanyama, who scored seven points on 2-of-10 shooting and missed all six of his three-point attempts, he contributed significantly in other areas with 12 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block. Guerschon Yabusele led the French scoring with 22 points, while Isaia Cordinier added 20. Both players were drafted into the NBA but have not played in the league since 2019.
Rudy Gobert, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, played only three minutes due to a recent surgery on his left ring finger, as reported by USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt. French coach Vincent Collet offered a different perspective on Gobert’s limited participation.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who was the runner-up for the NBA Most Valuable Player award, led Canada with a game-high 27 points. RJ Barrett was the only other Canadian player to reach double figures, contributing 16 points.
“If you don’t earn it, that’s what happens: You lose,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated to reporters after the game, including The Washington Post’s Ben Golliver.
France’s size advantage proved crucial in the matchup. Although Canada excelled in offensive rebounds and points in the paint, France’s physicality led them to the free-throw line 42 times, compared to Canada’s 25 attempts. This disparity allowed Canada to attempt 18 more field goals than France; however, they struggled, shooting just 5-of-21 from beyond the arc and recording only 14 assists against 14 turnovers.
“Offensively, I thought it was our most selfish game. We didn’t share the ball,” commented Canada head coach Jordi Fernandez, addressing reporters including Sportsnet’s Arash Madani.
The upcoming semifinal will be a rematch against Germany, who previously defeated France 85-71 during the group stage, where the Germans led by as many as 24 points in the second half. The other semifinal will see Serbia face the winner of the USA-Brazil matchup.
