Canada beats Spain to remain undefeated in Olympic men’s basketball

Canada’s men’s basketball team remains perfect at the Paris Olympics after narrowly defeating Spain 88-85 to close out group play on Friday. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Canadians with 20 points, while Andrew Nembhard added 18 points and two assists. 

Dario Brizuela put up 17 points and hit all five of his three-point shots for Spain, which fell to 1-2 and was eliminated from the tournament. 

The two sides were level at 19-19 at the end of the opening frame before Canada pulled away in the second quarter, thanks in part to eight points from Gilgeous-Alexander, and the Canadians took a 49-38 lead into halftime. 

Spain narrowed the gap to a single point with 2.7 seconds to go before Gilgeous-Alexander hit two free throws to seal the score.

The result leaves Canada atop Group A heading into the knockout round, which begins with the quarterfinals in Paris on Tuesday. The semifinals are scheduled for Thursday and medal games are set for Aug. 10.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 2, 2024.