Paris Olympics 2024: Canada Dominates Australia, Spain Triumph Over Greece

Paris Olympics 2024 Updates: The basketball tournament for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris is heating up as Canada defeats Australia in a match that matters, and Spain overcomes Greece to maintain their hopes of making it to the semifinals.

Spain upset Greece and Giannis Antetokounmpo with 19 points and 12 rebounds from Santi Aldama, giving Spain its first Olympic victory in Paris and a chance to go to the knockout stage.

Paris Olympics 2024: Canada Dominates Australia, Spain Triumph Over Greece
Canadians Dwight Powell, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, and R.J. Barrett celebrate the victory. Photo Credit: REUTERS

Canada defeated Australia 93-83 on Tuesday to maintain their perfect record in group play at the Olympics in Paris thanks to 24 points and 7 rebounds from RJ Barrett.

Canada increased to 2-0 with 16 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and they are still on course to advance when the competition field is reduced from 12 to eight teams and moves to Paris for the knockout play the following week.

With 19 points, Josh Giddey topped Australia. Dante Exum received 15 in the end. Canada’s last group-stage clash is against Spain. Greece is the next opponent for Australia.

The first half of the game was close. However, Barrett persisted in finding gaps in Australia’s defense, and with 5:13 left, he made a 3-pointer to help his side grab its first double-digit lead. With roughly four and a half minutes remaining, Canada increased the lead to 83-72.

Spain upset Greece and Giannis Antetokounmpo with 19 points and 12 rebounds from Santi Aldama, giving Spain its first Olympic victory in Paris and a chance to go to the knockout stage.

Sergio Llull scored 13 points in the end. With one game remaining in the group stage against Canada, Spain moved to a 1-1 lead in Group A.

Antetokounmpo finished with 11 rebounds and 27 points.

Greece and Spain entered the competition almost battling for their lives after losing their opening matches on Saturday. The loser would need to win on Friday and probably receive a lot of assistance in order to have any chance of moving on.

It is now Greece, and it will play Australia in its last opportunity to win a medal before the aspirations of four teams to qualify for the Olympics are dashed. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Greece reduced a 14-point halftime deficit to only one point.

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: Spain Triumph Over China in Women’s Basketball Opener, Serbia Edges Out Puerto Rico

After that, it was tied at 71 thanks to a forceful, driving dunk by Antetokounmpo off of Aldama, with whom he had been battling the whole game.

However, Aldama answered with a driving layup, and Spain scored the next eight points while remaining steady over the following several minutes.

“Making the defensive play with a guy like him is difficult,” Aldama remarked. “You have two options: attempt to stop the shot or make the defensive play. I attempted, was posturized, but play again later.

With 59 seconds remaining, Greece managed to close the gap to 80-77, but Antetokounmpo’s 3-point attempt from the top of the key bounced off the hoop.

After Rudy Fernandez departed the game late in the fourth quarter due to a collision under the basket and was assisted by trainers to the locker room, Spain does have a serious health worry going forward.

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