LILLE, France – It was a special experience for Canada head coach Jordi Fernandez. And with the Olympic opener out of the way, his team’s emotions can be set aside, too.
RJ Barrett and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 23 and 21 points as Canada defeated Greece 86-79in Olympic men’s basketball action on Saturday at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
It was Canada’s first appearance at the Games since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Canada went 2-1 in exhibition play earlier in July leading up to the Games, having qualified at the 2023 FIBA World Cup where it won bronze.
“It was very special,” Fernandez said of being at the Olympics. “My parents are here, some of my best friends from my hometown, my wife, my kids. … This is our job, it’s pretty intense, the whole day you’re thinking about it, almost have a headache at times.
“Like I tell our guys, you can say now you’re Olympians, you’ve won a game at the Olympics, so from now on, all this emotion can be thrown on the side and we just gotta go get the next one.”
The two teams entered Saturday’s contest with the 14th-ranked Greeks holding a 2-1 edge over the seventh-ranked Canadians. Their last meeting came at an Olympic qualifying event in Victoria in 2021, a 97-91 Canada win.
Canada led by 80-68 with 3:24 remaining on Saturday before Greece went on a 10-0 run to make it a two-point game with 1:04 remaining. Hot stretches from the Greeks were a common theme throughout the game, although Canada never trailed.
“They’re a really good team so it’s gonna happen,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They’re not gonna quit, obviously. We expected that when we make our run, (they would) have a little more juice to make their run.
“For us, it was just about weathering the storms and sticking to our game plan throughout the runs. … Just try to weather the other teams’ better than they weather yours.”
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Canada will next play No. 5 Australia — which defeated Spain 92-80 earlier in the day — on Tuesday.
Dillon Brooks and Jamal Murray — who came off the bench — added 13 and eight points, respectively, for Canada (1-0). Murray iced the game with a pair of clutch free throws late in the fourth quarter, before Barrett put an exclamation mark on the win with a slam dunk at the buzzer.
Murray missed some time for rest during the exhibition slate but said that he is “100 per cent.”
“I’m just trying to ramp up my minutes,” he said of coming off the bench.
“We got a great group of selfless guys, though. Our captain Kelly (Olynyk) is coming off the bench, an NBA champion is coming off the bench and the starting unit is rolling. … Everyone’s embraced their role.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a game-high 34 points for Greece (0-1), which booked its ticket to the Games after winning the Olympic qualifying tournament in Piraeus, Greece, in early July.
“The game plan didn’t work because I think he scored 34 points,” Fernandez said of Antetokounmpo.
“He’s done an amazing job, he made his free throws. Whoever plays him next, they’re gonna look at this game and be asking themselves, ‘How are we gonna stop him?’”
Barrett scored Canada’s first basket 32 seconds in with a layup and Canada jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the opening quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander then turned up the heat with multiple stepback jump-shots as Canada went on an 11-2 run to take a 22-9 edge.
However, back-to-back three-pointers from Dinos Mitoglou and Kostas Papanikolaou got Greece going before another Papanikolaou triple with 17 seconds left made it a two-point game. Murray closed the frame with a pair of free throws to give Canada a 26-22 lead.
A Barrett baseline jumper and a pair of free throws from Gilgeous-Alexander allowed Canada to go into halftime ahead 48-38.
In the third quarter, Brooks capped an 8-2 run to give the Canadians their largest lead at 56-40 just 1:47 in. A Murray floater with 43 seconds left gave Canada a 68-60 edge to close the third.
Antetokounmpo made a pair of free throws to trim the deficit to 72-68 with 7:27 remaining in the fourth quarter, to the delight of the pro-Greece crowd.
A Lu Dort three-pointer, however, gave Canada more cushion with 4:56 left, going up 75-68. Gilgeous-Alexander piled it on to the joy of some Canadian fans in the stands with a stepback three just over 30 seconds later.
Canada led by just three points, 82-79, with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but a costly foul from Antetokounmpo sent Murray to the foul line where he drained both his free throws.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press