In today’s Olympic men’s basketball group stage match, France faced off against Brazil.
The opening quarter saw the host team, France, perform rather lacklusterly despite their superior strength and home advantage. The team’s offensive efficiency was notably low, scoring just 5 points in five minutes. In contrast, Brazil’s offense was consistently successful, pushing their lead to nearly double digits at one point. However, France managed to reclaim their three-point shooting momentum towards the end of the first quarter, narrowing the gap. By the end of the first quarter, France trailed Brazil by 8 points, 15-23.
In the second quarter, Brazil continued to score, increasing their lead to 12 points and forcing France to call a timeout urgently. Following the timeout, France adjusted their tactics, executing a 11-0 streak that reduced the deficit to just 1 point. A three-pointer by Gabriel Santos helped Brazil stabilize their situation. Both teams then stepped up their defensive efforts, engaging in a back-and-forth battle where the score fluctuated within a single point. In the final play of the half, Evan Fournier hit a three-pointer to give France the lead.
At halftime, France held a 3-point lead over Brazil, 39-36.
The half-time statistics for both teams are as follows:
France: Valançey-Moreau scored 14 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and had 1 assist; Batum contributed 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist; Fournier added 7 points; Le Soler scored 4 points with 2 rebounds and 1 steal; Ntilikina contributed 3 points and 1 assist; De Colo added 2 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists; Gobert scored 2 points with 2 rebounds; Albicy grabbed 1 rebound; Strazzeri provided 1 assist; Cadiniere contributed 2 assists; Koulibaly secured 1 rebound.
Brazil: Cristton scored 9 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and had 1 assist; Veltas added 6 points, 1 rebound, and 3 assists and 1 steal; Santos contributed 6 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist and 1 steal; Felicio scored 5 points with 2 rebounds and 1 assist; Cardoso added 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal; G. Paula scored 2 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist; Matheus contributed 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists and 1 steal; Alvies added 2 points and 1 assist; Capoelo made 1 steal.