After the Friday games, six of the eight quarterfinalists of the Olympic tourney in Paris 2024 are known. From Group A it's Canada and Australia. From Group B it's Germany, France and Brazil. From Group C, the United States. Tune in on Saturday as the last two qualifiers will be known after the last two games!
Germany, Canada, Brazil and Greece triumph on Friday
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In the battle between undefeated teams, Germany got the best of France, 71-85, late Friday in the last game of the Group stage. As such, Germany wins Group B with three wins and no losses, while France dropped to 2-1 but will be in the quarterfinals anyway. Franz Wagner and Dennis Schroder led the winners with 26 points apiece in a pair of dominating performances. EuroLeague representative Isaac Bonga had 7 points for Germany. For France, Victor Wembanyama led the way with 14 points and Isaia Cordinier of Virtus Segafredo Bologna added 10.
Germany started rolling hard in the first half. Wagner and Schroder suited up from the very beginning and after an 18-24 first-quarter lead, the German team kicked up another gear and rolled for a 9-24 that made it 27-48 at the break. There was no stopping Germany in the third quarter either, as both Wagner and Schroder combined for more points (47) than the whole team of France after 30 minutes, 46-69. In the last period, France could catch up a little bit as Germany took it a bit easier and the hosts even managed to win the quarter 25-16, although the deal had been sealed prior.
Canada eliminates Spain in final stretch
It was a close situation on Friday evening when Canada defeated Spain by 88-85 and advanced to the quarterfinals as Group A champ with three wins in as many games. Spain says goodbye to the tournament after the results combinations earlier in the day forced it to win the game to qualify. This has likely been the last game in the career of legendary Rudy Fernandez.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Canada with 20 points and he also scored the last free throws that secured the win for his team. Andrew Nembhard added 18 and RJ Barrett had 16 for the winners. For Spain, FC Barcelona's Dario Brizuela led the way with 17 points and put Spain back in the game almost single-handedly in the last quarter. Real Madrid's Sergio Llull added 13, Barcelona's Alex Abrines contributed 12, his teammate Willy Hernangomez had 10 and Valencia Basket's Jaime Pradilla also posted 10 for Spain.
Canada started rolling early to a 12-6 lead, but Spain got back on track quick and managed to tie the score after 10 minutes, 19-19. Canada insisted in the second period and this time it was more successful in keeping the Spanish team at bay, as Nembhard and Dillon Brooks took a main role during that second period to lead Canada to a 49-38 edge at the halftime break. In the third quarter, Spain seemed to get back on its feet, especially thanks to Abrines from long range, but Canada managed to still maintain a safe distance after 30 minutes, 64-56.
In the last period, Spain knew it was all or nothing and Brizuela took that to heart. He started to drain baskets with no miss, and he took Spain closer than ever, but Nembhard and Brooks were keeping Canada afloat, also with the help of Gilgeous-Alexander. Pradilla was also contributing some points in the paint for Spain, but on the other side of the court Canada always seemed to find easier scoring options. The last minute started with Spain trailing by three points and Llull took charge conducting the play in offense, but when it seemed that it would go to the wire, Barrett nailed an opean three from the corner to make it 85-80 with 39 seconds to go. Llull had time for another three with 3 seconds remaining for a 86-85, but Gilgeous-Alexander put the game on ice with two free throws and Llull barely had time to attempt a three from halfcourt that missed the mark and had Canada celebrating the first place in Group A.
Brazil defeated Japan 84-102 on Friday afternoon at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille behind a monster game from Bruno Caboclo. Brazil won for the first time to finish third in Group B with a 1-2 record, while sending Japan home winless at 0-3. Brazil will now need to wait for the remaining games in Groups A and C to know if it is one of the best two third-place finishers to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
Caboclo, who played for Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade last season, posted 15 points and 6 rebounds in the first quarter alone and never let up. He finished the game with 33 points and 17 rebounds. Caboclo shot 4 for 4 on three-pointers. Vitor Benite, a 2023 EuroCup champion with Gran Canaria, added 19 points on 5 for 7 three-point shooting and Marcelinho Huertas had 13 points and 8 assists. Josh Hawkinson paced Japan with 26 points and 10 rebounds, Yuki Kawamura delivered 21 points and 10 assists and Yuta Watanabe had 14 points and 9 boards in defeat.
Kawamura fed Hawkinson for an alley-oop and then made a three-pointer himself, before Hawkinson gave Japan a 7-2 lead. Caboclo scored half the points in a 0-10 Brazil response to give his team the lead. Kawamura remained hot to bring Japan within 13-14. Caboclo threw in 7 more points in a run of 11 straight for Brazil, which grabbed a double-digit lead and had a 20-31 cushion after 10 minutes. Japan heated up early in the second quarter to draw within 34-36 on a Yudai Baba triple. Benite stepped to the fore for Brazil with 3 three-pointers in another 0-11 run to regain control. Watanabe connected from deep, and Kawamura scored to bring Japan within 6, but a three by Leon Meindl made it 44-55 at the break.
Brazil went ahead 50-66 early in the second half before Hawkinson came alive to trim the gap. Kawamura layup capped a 12-0 Japan run that Caboclo ended with a put back. Japan kept the pressure on and Kawamura drained a three to make it a 2-point game. Free throws by Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade guard Yago Dos Santos gave Brazil a 73-77 edge entering the fourth quarter. Hawkinson drained a three, but Caboclo scored on the next two possessions to keep Brazil ahead. Caboclo added a phenomenal block and a three-pointer to make it 80-88. Huertas extended the difference to double figures and a Caboclo slam pushed the Brazil tally to triple digits as Brazil finished off the win.
Greece holds off Australia for first win
Greece defeated Australia 71-77 for its first win of the tournament, but will have to wait for other results to know if it was enough to advance to the quarterfinals. The result left both teams with 1-2 records.
Giannis Antetokounmpo shined once again for Greece with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Olympiacos Piraeus’s Thomas Walkup scored 18 points, including a key three-pointer and steal down the stretch. Konstantinos Mitoglou of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and Vassilis Toliopoulos of Aris Midea Thessaloniki added 13 points apiece. Jock Landale was Australia’s top scorer with 17 points and Patty Mills contributed 13 in defeat.
Antetokounmpo opened the scoring and back-to-back three-pointers by Nick Calathes of AS Monaco and Walkup made it 2-8. Landale and Mills kept Australia close, though a pair of baskets by Antetokounmpo maintained a Greek lead. Free throws by Josh Giddey drew the Boomers within 24-25 after 10 minutes. Toliopoulos and Walkup each scored twice to lead a 0-14 run to open the second quarter as Greece took a 24-39 lead. Australia responded, but Mitoglou heated up as the margin grew. Monaco center Georgios Papagiannis left his mark at both ends in the closing minutes of the half to send the teams into the locker rooms with Greece ahead 36-53.
Greece twice went ahead by 19 before Josh Giddey heated up with 5 points as the Boomers clawed to within 47-59. Turk Telekom Ankara forward Vassilis Charalampopoulos and Matthew Dellavedova traded threes to end a low-scoring third quarter at 50-62. A dunk by Landale and a three by Dyson Daniels brought Australia within 7. Antetokounmpo buried an open three and spun through the paint for a layup that made it 55-67. Australia punched right back and a three by Mills made it a 4-point game. Mills came through with another jumper to make it 69-71 with 3 minutes to go. Toliopoulos made a clutch three and Walkup added another with just over a minute remaining and then made a key steal to put the game on ice.