Former Knicks Guard Leads Canada to Win vs. Australia

New York Knicks fans might be pleased with the results from early action at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday morning as Canada pulled out a 93-83 win against Australia in Lille.

Former Knicks forward RJ Barrett, who was traded to his hometown Toronto Raptors for OG Anunoby on Dec. 30 of last year, scored a game-high 24 points for Canada in the win. Barrett went 8 of 14 from the field and made three of his six 3-point attempts in the win.

The game was fairly even on both sides during the first half, with neither side taking a massive lead. No lead was more than five points during the first two quarters, which set up an exciting second half. From there, Canada began to pull ahead thanks to Barrett’s heroics. He scored 13 of his 24 points in the third quarter, which saw Canada take control of the game. However, more work had to be done in the fourth to seal the victory.

Canada held Australia to just 13 points in the fourth quarter, which ultimately led them to a resounding victory.

For Australia, Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey led the way with 19 points while Houston Rockets center Jock Landale (16 points), Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum (15 points) and Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (10 points), joined him in double figures.

While Barrett led the way with 24 points, Houston Rockets guard Dillon Brooks had 16 of his own with Oklahoma City Thunder teammates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort had 16 and 11, respectively.

The win puts Canada at 2-0 and guarantees their spot at the top of Group A. Since they beat both Spain and Australia and neither can catch them in the standings for the group, Canada will win Group A before the final game is played. This will allow them to rest some of their players before the knockout stage of the tournament begins.

Canada plays Greece on Friday while Australia and Spain go head-to-head to determine who finishes in second place in Group A.

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