NBA
Former Knicks Help France Past Brazil
The New York Knicks aren’t represented by any current players at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but a few former flames are making it count in their home country.
Evan Fournier started and Frank Ntilikina played a key role off the bench in France’s 78-66 win against Brazil on Saturday at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, which is a city in the north of France.
It wasn’t a strong start for France, who trailed early after Brazil made three triples in the first quarter. However, their strong defense came in and they managed to pick things up in the second quarter.
France outscored Brazil 24-13 in the second quarter, giving them a lead to work with when the two teams went into the locker rooms for halftime.
In the second half, France imposed their will, only allowing nine points and scoring 18, taking their lead to as much as 13 thanks to a 13-4 run to end the frame. In the fourth quarter, France was able to go on cruise control and lock up their first win of the tournament.
Fournier played 13 minutes in the win, scoring seven points while Ntilikina added nine points of his own in 21 minutes off the bench. The leading scorers for France were Los Angeles Clippers veteran forward Nicolas Batum and reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, who each had 19 points of their own.
Meanwhile, Brazil had 14 points apiece from Leo Meindl and former Chicago Bulls center Cristiano Felicio.
France poses a threat to the United States for the gold medal in the tournament. The team has eight former or current NBA players and two stars in Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. Putting one or both of them in the paint should make it very challenging for teams to drive on them, especially since FIBA rules don’t have a defensive 3-second violation.
France’s next game comes on Tuesday when they take on Japan, who lost to Germany in their opening match today. Tipoff is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. ET and can be watched on Peacock.
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