Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads Canada past Spain in Paris Olympics
OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Canada to an 88-85 win over Spain on Friday in a group phase game of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Canadian men’s basketball team will begin the 2024 Paris Olympic knockout stages with a quarterfinals game against France on Tuesday.
Canada, which is led by OKC Thunder guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort, finished first in Group A play with a 3-0 record. France finished second in Group B play with a 2-1 record.
Here’s what you need to know:
Quarterfinals: Germany-Greece | Australia-Serbia | Canada-France | United States-Brazil
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France will present a problem for an undersized Canada team. It boasts two 7-footers in Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert, who are both elite at protecting the rim.
Still, Canada established itself as a legitimate contender when it went 3-0 in the most difficult group. Gilgeous-Alexander and RJ Barrett have combined for an average of 40 points per game, and the defensive duo of Lu Dort and Dillon Brooks will make life difficult on the perimeter.
This isn’t an ideal matchup for Canada, but it’ll do just enough to take out the host nation.
Prediction: Canada 84, France 81
As much as we’ve discussed the glaring issues of Canada’s outmatched big man group, the same could be argued about France’s guard play.
Germany’s Dennis Schröder, admittedly talented and capable of quick scoring, was the best guard France played in group play. He ripped the French front line, and anyone else willing to defend him, to shreds. And yet, Canada has the best guard core that France will play by far, and the best of any team sans the United States.
If anyone can manipulate a pair of revered defenders like Gobert and Wembanyama, it’s SGA. Andrew Nembhard should get into some cracks that France hasn’t had to worry much about, and if Jamal Murray emerges as a factor, it makes the Canadians that much trickier. Should Barrett repeatedly challenge the twin towers at the rim the way Germany’s Franz Wagner did, it could similarly unravel France.
Prediction: Canada 85, France 78
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Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Monday, Aug. 5
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