The clash at Pierre Mauroy Stadium on Tuesday showed that Canada and Australia are two of the best teams in the Olympic Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Canadians went down during the first half but with strong contribution from RJ Barrett and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander they were able to get the advantage over their opponents.
Barrett finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, while SGA stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Australia’s physicality allowed the Boomers to create an advantage but, with Giddey failing to impact the game in the closing quarter, his team fell.
The Canadians outscored their opponents 48-34 in the second half to secure a 93-83 victory and keep their Olympic Tournament record intact.
For the Aussies, Josh Giddey had 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, Jock Landale added a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Dante Exum had 15. After Spain’s victory against Greece, all three of Australia, Spain and Greece had a chance to advance to the knockout round.
As for Canada, the Shai-led group secured its place in the quarter-finals with the game against Spain coming as a means to finish the Group A on a perfect record and advance as the top team out of the bunch. As for Australia, they will have to win against Greece next game to secure their spot in the quarter-finals.
Group A schedule and results after Canada’s victory
Group AÂ Â Â PD
Canada 4 Â +17
Spain 3Â Â Â Â -5
Australia 2Â +2
Greece 2Â Â -14
Group A upcoming games Schedule
30/7 Spain vs Greece 84-77
30/7 Canada vs Australia 93-83
2/8 14:30 Australia vs Greece
2/8 18:15 Canada vs Spain
