Former Knicks Help France Upset Canada

Two former New York Knicks are off to the semifinals in the Olympics after France upset Canada 82-73 on Tuesday in Paris.

Former Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina drew the start for defensive purposes, and it was a massive boost for France as they held Canada to just 10 points in the first quarter. That allowed France to take a double-digit lead and sit in the driver’s seat for the entirety of the game. They extended their lead to 16 at halftime.

While Canada got to within five points with just over two minutes to play, that was as close as they would get. France scored five consecutive points to get it back to double digits, killing any hope Canada had of pulling off an Olympic-sized comeback.

Ntilikina’s defense was key, but his offense was not. He missed every shot from the field but made all five of his free throw attempts. Former Knicks guard Evan Fournier was far more impactful on the offensive side of the ball coming off the bench. Fournier scored 15 points on 4 of 8 shooting from the floor, making a trio of 3-pointers.

The leading scorer for the French was former first-round pick Guerschon Yabusele, who had a brief two-year stint in the NBA with the Boston Celtics from 2017-19 but has enjoyed far more success in Europe. No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama had just seven points to go with his 12 rebounds, while Rudy Gobert hardly played and recorded just one rebound.

For Canada, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 27 points while former Knicks forward RJ Barrett had 16 of his own. Canada took 18 more shots than France and made five more, but the French went to the free throw line 42 times compared to the Canadians’ 25.

France is one win away from a medal, and they could clinch that in their rematch on Thursday against Germany.

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