The 2024 Olympic men’s basketball group stage is gradually coming to an end with intense matches. Meeting in the final group stage match when both had undefeated records, hosts France and Germany battled for the top spot in Group B.
As the home team, Victor Wembanyama and his teammates seemed to receive energy from nearly 30,000 fans at Pierre Mauroy Stadium. However, they played incredibly weakly and lost to Germany with a score of 85-71, sometimes leading by 20 points.
Captain Dennis Schroder and young talent Franz Wagner each scored 26 points to lead the away team, bringing the German “tank” to first place in the group with 3 unbeaten matches (difference +47).
Meanwhile, the French team scored only 9 points in the second half, leading to a mid-match score of 48-27 in favor of the Germans. Victor Wembanyama is not the best player but is still the home team’s highest scorer. NBA’s Rookie of The Year left the court with 14 points (5-11 FG, 4-7 3PT).
Despite a forgettable performance, the French team and its ticket to the quarterfinals were not affected because they and the German team closed their tickets early one round before the match. This defeat can be considered a wake-up call for Rudy Gobert, Wembanayama and his teammates, especially when the knockout series is very close.
Canada maintained its unbeaten streak, eliminating Spain from the 2024 Olympics
If there is any team that is the “quietest” but also the most dangerous in this year’s Olympic men’s basketball, it is Canada. The US team’s neighbor has just finished the group stage with 3 unbeaten matches, sealed with an impressive 88-85 victory over Spain last night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Canadian team with 20 points, seemingly having an easy match as his teammates took the initiative for most of the match.
But Spain showed the stubbornness and class of one of Europe’s top teams. The gap of more than 10 points was shortened by Sergio Llull and his teammates to only 2 points (score 82-80).
Unfortunately, because neither Sergio Llull nor shooter Alex Abrines took advantage of the opportunity at the free throw line, Spain was unable to equalize. This allowed Canada to seal the victory with RJ Barrett’s “clutch” 3-pointer and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s two cold free throws.
Falling to the bottom of the table after considering the sub-index with two teams tied on points, Australia and Greece, Spain was eliminated from the 2024 Olympics due to a difference of only -5 (Greece -1 and Australia is +6). . Also after a series of matches on the evening of August 2 and the morning of August 3, Japan said goodbye to the tournament with 3 losses.
The 2024 Olympic 5×5 men’s basketball group stage will continue on the evening of August 3 and early morning of August 4, Vietnam time. Attention will turn to the US team in the match against Puerto Rico and especially the next match between Serbia and South Sudan.
