France did not let the home crowd down as it secured its first win against Brazil in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 men’s basketball action on Sunday, July 28.
After the historic opening rites that saw delegates traverse the iconic Seine River aboard boats, there was no way France would disappoint a partisan crowd in attendance in the men's basketball match on Sunday, July 28 (Philippine time).
That was why the Les Bleus did everything they could to buck a sloppy start and notch a 78-66 opening win against Brazil in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium.
France thus joined Germany atop Group B with their identical 1-0 cards. The Die Mannschaft earlier mauled Japan, 97-77.
Victor Wembanyama and Nicolas Batum hit the biggest shots as the French recovered from 10 points down in the second quarter and went all-out in the middle periods en route to a strong start to their Olympic campaign.
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The San Antonio Spur Wembanyama finished with 19 points, including an emphatic alley-oop dunk that gave the home team a 75-64 edge with 50.8 ticks remaining in the game.
Batum followed that up with a booming three-pointer — his second in 46 seconds — to bury the Brazilians for good.
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The 7-foot-4 wunderkind Wembanyama also put in nine rebounds, four steals, three blocks and two assists in a sensational outing worth the hype, while Los Angeles Clippers forward Batum finished with 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
France outgunned Brazil 42-22 in the second and third quarters to help build a commanding 57-45 advantage heading into the final canto.
Brazil, who entered Paris by way of winning the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Latvia, showed some resistance in the fourth period, pulling to within four on the crest of an 8-0 run, 58-62.
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But just when the Brazilians thought they could make it a ball game and get a shot at an upset against the World No. 9 quintet, France leaned on Batum and Wembanyama to get the job done.
Batum capped a 7-0 France rally for a 69-58 cushion.
Cristiano Felicio answered with four straight points, but France team captain Batum would respond with a triple that would bring the lead back to double digits, 73-63, with a minute and 21 seconds to go.
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There was nothing Brazil could do after that.
Felicio and Leo Meindl scored 14 points apiece for the South American nation.
Marcelinho Huertas, whose pinpoint accuracy from the perimeter killed Gilas Pilipinas in their semifinal clash in the OQT, added 11 points, five assists, three rebounds and a steal.