The most important sporting event took an initial leap this Saturday, with several countries already donning their candidate suits to fight for the biggest prize against the United States.
Basketball debuted at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with the men’s branch. The United States wants to prove its superiority again with a good team, but other delegations will leave everything to break the hegemony of the Yankees. Who will win the most coveted gold medal in the world?
Basketball’s debut at the 2024 Olympic Games
Australia defeated Spain 92-80 in its Olympic debut and had total superiority throughout the match. The ‘Boomers’ achieved success with their figure and scorer Jock Landale serving his team with 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists and a steal. But he wasn’t alone, four other players finished above double digits in scoring and joined the Houston Rockets center.
He was supported by the stainless Patty Mills who scored 19 goals, especially in the second half when Spain came close. Josh Giddey had a good first half finishing with 17 points, Dyson Daniels and Jack McVeigh each had 13 points for the Oceanic victory.
La Roja, despite the double-digit loss, showed a competitive level against Australia and did a little more. Santiago Aldama was the figure in Sergio Scariolo’s team, he led it with 27 points, five rebounds and two steals. But Spain had losses that the Boomers took advantage of and more than half of their shot options went wrong, costing them the match.
Willy Hernángomez (14 goals) and Sergio Llull (17 points) are the scorers with the Memphis player. But Australia were better on the field and came away with two key points that move them closer to the next stage at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
resounding victory for the world champions
Germany defeated Japan 97 – 77 in the match that opened Group B in the first stage of the Olympic Games. The Teutons outclassed the Asians and showed why they were world champions, especially with their standout Franz Wagner. The Orlando Magic forward contributed 22 points, six rebounds and a block to lead Gordie Herbert’s team to a 20-point victory.
A high-level collective game in Germany, led by Dennis Schröder who finished with a double double of 13 scores and 12 assists. But three other players contributed double digits of conversion throughout the match, Daniel Theis added 18 points, Moritz Wagner 15 and Isaac Bonga 11.
Japan, more limited in terms of height and level of play, managed to play a worthy match beyond defeat. They stayed close for most of the match and none other than the current world champion. Rui Hachimura was the star of the Nippon team after adding 20 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and a block.
The local came back and won the match
France won against Brazil 78-66, the local team led in the second half, because in the first half the South Americans were leading because of their strict defense. However, the Galos were able to reverse the outcome with three-pointers, along with solid rim protection.
Victor Wembanyama was a standout for the local team, adding 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals, three blocks and two assists. And Nicolas Batum accompanied the San Antonio Spurs Alien with 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals to both lead France’s win.
Also, Brazil started the game with superiority. They showed ferocious defense and effective attack that put them ahead from the start. Leo Meindl’s Triples led him to score 14 goals for Canarinha with 50% efficiency, also helped by the experienced Marcelinho Huertas who added 11 points and five assists. Another big contributor to the Verdeamarelos was Cristiano Felicio, who dominated the French paint and scored 14 points.
Despite a good performance by the Canaries in the first half, France were inferior and, before the break, they were three points ahead and did not drop from there. With the clock winding down they only stretched their lead and the Brazilians came from behind, but they didn’t let the loss get too heavy.
The most fascinating rivalry of the opening day
Canada won against Greece 86-79 in a close match, perhaps the closest of the four played so far. The North American team controlled the score from the start and in the first half, they dominated the blue and white with the excellent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributing 21 points, seven assists, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal .
The Oklahoma City Thunder point guard was joined by Toronto Raptors star RJ Barrett, who added 23 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal. And Canada’s third sword is none other than Dillon Brooks with 14 points, five boards, one assist and one rebound.
Greece managed to stay close to the game and the second half was when they came closest to stealing the game from the Canadians. Giannis Antetokounmpo once again led the way for the Greeks with 34 points, five rebounds and two assists, but that performance only served to bring them four points closer on the scoreboard. Kostas Papanikolaou followed him with 17 points.
Canada missed out on a crucial match that would have put it at the top with Australia in the first two positions. In their next match they will determine against the ‘Boomers’ who will qualify for the quarterfinals first and we will also have a match between Shai and Josh Giddey, former OKC teammates.
Source: Tycsports
My name is Adam Jackson and I am an author. I have been writing about Basketball games for over a decade now and am excited to share my knowledge with you all. Additionally, I am also interested in other sports and enjoy discussing them with others. Contact me if you want to discuss any Basketball-related topics!
