The game between Team France and Team Canada was set to be an exciting one as both teams dominated in the group round. France ended with a 2-1 record due to a tough loss against Germany. Canada came out with a perfect 3-0 to enter the knockout stages. Sadly, this perfect record wouldn't continue as France kicked the Great White North to the curb.
Victor Wembanyama shines on the boards
Victor Wembanyama didn't have the greatest day when it came to scoring. However, this didn't end up mattering as he still snagged 12 boards for his team to go along with one block, five assists, and seven points. The alien is showing why he is so lethal, even when he shoots 2-10 from the field and 0-3 from three.
With Wembanyama struggling to produce, the French were able to lean on Guerschon Yabusele, who dominated inside the paint and earned 22 points. The onslaught would continue with Isaiah Cordinier nailing 4-5 from three and ending with 2- points. He also contributed three steals.
Evan Fournier was a major help from the bench, scoring 15 points, one block, and three assists. His NBA career has been consistently up and down,and his last season with the Detroit Pistons ended with a tough 7.2 points per game. However, the veteran has had a decent showing for Team France.
Canada couldn't keep up
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and RJ Barrett did their best to push their team forward. SGA had 27 points, four assists, and five rebounds. He's been on a tear on the international stage, and it seemed like he was going to have a real shot at a medal. The same goes for RJ Barrett, who came up with 16 points in this game. Sadly, the rest of the team fell behind, and they were no match against France.
Dillon Brooks had an abysmal offensive performance putting up just two points. He did get three steals, but that didn't affect the game much as he also turned the ball over twice. Lu Dort and Dwight Powell struggled just as much as Brooks, scoring-wise. Powell did manage to grab eight boards, though.
The bench wasn't much help either. The most disappointing to watch was Jamal Murray, who's been useless in almost every game. In 24 minutes he had seven points, five rebounds, and one assists to go with three turnovers. It seems like Murray isn't having a fun time on the Olympic stage. He doesn't have Nikola Jokic to toss him pristine passes, but this isn't an excuse. The guard should be capable of much more than this. At just 27, he'll most likely return in 2028. Hopefully, it's a better showing for him.
Can Team France beat Germany?
As said above, Germany is the only team that has defeated France in this year's Olympics. It was a great game that ended with the Germans on top 85-71. Wembanyama led in scoring with 14 points, however, his teammates struggled against a great German defense. Also, Franz Wagner and Dennis Schroder both scored 26 points, making the duo unstoppable. The game was over the minute Wagner dunked on the 7'4" Wemby.
France will have to be ready to face an extremely confident Team Germany. It shouldn't shock anyone that Germany is playing so well. They won the 2023 FIBA World Cup and continue to look like champs. Wemby will have to be a machine on the boards and in the scoring column. Hopefully, Rudy Gobert can make a real return in this game after having minor surgery on his finger and only seeing three minutes against Canada.
This French team does have what it takes to win this game, but it will take a huge effort from everyone. They failed last time; now there isn't another option. If they lose, it's game over.
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