Canada survives against Spain to go undefeated in group play
It came down to the wire but the Canadians held on to win 88-85 on Friday afternoon in Lille, France.
Coincidentally, this is the same score the two teams had at last year’s FIBA World Cup when they squared off. Canada eliminated Spain from that tournament, just like they did in Lille on Friday.
The two sides were tied at 19 a piece after the first quarter before Canada exploded in the second frame, outscoring Spain 30-19. Canada took the lead just over a minute into quarter two, and wouldn’t give it up for the rest of the game.
CANADA
— FIBA (@FIBA) August 2, 2024TOP GROUP A!
Canada clinch the 1st spot and push Spainout of contention in #Paris2024.#Basketball pic.twitter.com/e4m7ZrKi1u
Super Shai… again
What an Olympic debut it has been for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
After dropping 21 points, seven assists, and five rebounds against Greece, and 16 points, three assists, and four rebounds against Australia, Gilgeous-Alexander had yet another wonderful performance.
The 26-year-old put up 20 points, three rebounds, and one assist on 5-of-10 shooting in the win. SGA also capped off the night by icing a pair of free throws to seal the deal.
This isn’t the first time Gilgeous-Alexander has played well against Spain, however. The Hamilton, Ontario native scored 30 points in a win against the Spaniards in last year’s World Cup as well.
In his first-ever Olympics, the Thunder star is averaging 19 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 67.9 true shooting.
Well hello Mr.Nembhard
Outside of Shai, Andrew Nembhard was the most impactful member on Team Canada.
Nembhard finished with 18 points, two assists, and one rebound on a staggering 8-of-10 shooting. That’s the most Nembhard has ever dropped with the senior men, and it was a darn good time to do so.
The 24-year-old is the second youngest member on the squad (RJ Barrett is the youngest), and he was great off the bench. He made things happen on offence, getting to the paint with relative ease while also draining a pair of triples.
On defence, he did his thing as well. While it wasn’t quite to the level of Dillon Brooks and Lu Dort (not many players are), Nembhard provided ball pressure and overall solid defence along the perimeter.
After only averaging 3.5 points across the first two contests, the Aurora, Ontario native closed the game for Jordi Fernandez’s squad. Overall he provided a major boost off the bench, which the Canadians desperately needed.
A breakout performance
— Canada Basketball (@CanBball) August 2, 2024Une performance exceptionnelle@AndrewNembhard scores 18 points,a personal best with the #SMNT, earns him @ToyotaCanada Drive of the Game Honours /Nembhard récolte 18 points, son record avec l’#ENSM, remporte les honneurs «Drive of the Game»#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/QcNFenVlKu
What’s next
With the win, Canada tops Group A with a perfect 3-0 record heading into the knockout round. The quarterfinals begin in Paris on Tuesday, while the semifinals are scheduled for Thursday and the final is set for Aug. 10.
It’s unclear who the Canadians will play in the quarterfinals, as there is still one more day of group play to go. As it stands, Canada will take on France, unless the USA loses to Puerto Rico or South Sudan beats Serbia, but by no more than eight points.
You get all of that?
There’s still lots of Olympic basketball to be played and Raptors Republic will have you covered with anything and everything surrounding the Senior Men’s National Team moving forward.
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