Victor Wembanyama-led France takes on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Canada in the Olympic quarterfinal in Paris, France.
After going undefeated in the group stage of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Canada meets the hosts, France, in the quarterfinal round.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Canada to three victories over Spain, Greece, and Australia in Group A. France, meanwhile, defeated Brazil, barely survived against Japan, and handily lost to Germany.
After France's last loss, Evan Fournier even called out the French coaching staff for the tactics the team uses. Head coach Vincent Collet fired back at his player, claiming he was the only one on the roster who thought that way.
Canada and France have played in 8 games against one another before, with France winning six of those meetings. The last game between Canada and France took place in the 2023 FIBA World Cup last year when Canada dismantled the French by a 30-point margin - 95-65.
Live game:
France vs. Canada
- After Fournier's comments about the tactics, both he and Rudy Gobert started the game on the bench.
- Isaiah Cordinieir scored 10 points in just over three minutes, and France started the game with a fiery 16-5 run, forcing Jordi Fernandez to call a timeout.
- Canada scored just 6 points in the first 8 minutes of the game, a stark contrast to previous contests.
- Mathias Lessort's alley-oop finished the first quarter, and France leads by 13 after the first quarter (23-10).
France: Isaia Cordinier 10, Guerschon Yabusele 7, Mathias Lessort 4.
Canada: Lu Dort 3, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2.
- Rudy Gobert enters the court for the first time in the second quarter with 7:41 remaining on the clock and France leading by 15 (28-13).
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hits a stepback, and France calls a timeout (30-18).
- Guerschon Yabusele hits a three-pointer as France goes into halftime with an impressive 16-point lead (45-29).
- Canada hit just three triples in 13 tries in the first half for an underwhelming 23%. France, meanwhile, attempted 25 free throws, with Mathias Lessort amassing 10.
France: Isaia Cordinier 13 (3/4 3PT), Guerschon Yabusele 12 (2/3 3PT, 4/4 FT), Mathias Lessort 10 (6/10 FT), Victor Wembanyama 2 (4 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL).
Canada: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 13 (5/10 FG), Jamal Murray 5 (2/6 FG).
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helpes Canada cut lead to 11 points(50-39) with 9 points in 3rd .
- France is maintaining a 10-point lead throughout 3rd quarter.
France: Isaia Cordinier 18 (4/5 3PT), Guerschon Yabusele 18 (2/3 3PT, 6/6 FT), Mathias Lessort 13 (9/14 FT).
Canada: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 22 (8/13 FG), Jamal Murray 7 (3/9 FG).
- France is playing strong defense and rebounding effectively, preventing Canada from mounting a comeback(65-55).
- Canada makes 5 straight points and makes France call a timeout(65-60).
- France is dominating the offensive boards, and after three attempts, they finally made a three-pointer extending their lead back to 10 (76-66).
- Canada fails to make a comeback and France is advancing to the semi-finals (82-73).
France: Guerschon Yabusele 22 (2/4 3PT, 8/8 FT),Isaia Cordinier 20 (4/5 3PT), Evan Fournier(4/8 FG).
Canada: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 27 (9/18 FG), RJ Barrett 16(4/6 2PT), Jamal Murray 7 (3/13 FG).
France Basketball Olympics 2024 schedule
| Game | Time | Date | TV | Score |
| vs. Brazil | 5:15 PM CET/11:15 AM ET | July 27 | France TV/Peacock | 78-66 |
| vs. Japan | 5:15 PM CET/11:15 AM ET | July 30 | France TV/Peacock | 94-90 OT |
| vs. Germany | 9 PM CET/3 PM ET | August 2 | France TV/Peacock | 81-75 |
Canada Basketball Olympics 2024 schedule
| Game | Time | Date | TV | Score |
| vs. Greece | 3 PM ET/9 PM CET | July 27 | CBC/Peacock | 86-79 |
| vs. Australia | 7:30 AM ET/1:30 PM CET | July 30 | CBC/Peacock | 93-83 |
| vs. Spain | 11:15 AM ET/5:15 PM CET | August 2 | CBC/Peacock | 88-85 |
