Canada’s men’s basketball team loses against France in Olympic quarterfinals, ending medal hopes

After an atrocious start in a sloppy game, Canada’s men’s basketball team was beaten by the hosts, France, in Tuesday’s quarterfinal. It ended 82-73. What had started out with hopes to be the big story for Canada at these Olympics ends in a whimper.

To this point, everything had gone perfectly for the team through their tournament. They’d been undefeated in their group. They had landed on the opposite side of the knockout bracket from the U.S. All they had to do was get through a team that almost lost to Japan and they were in a great chance for a medal.

But, driven by the home crowd, the French got on top of Canada early and never looked like surrendering their lead. Canada’s play was marred throughout by basic errors and a total lack of cohesion. There were long stretches where no one seemed to want to take a shot.

In the end, it wasn’t so much a case of the best team winning, but of the worst team losing.

The only Canadian who had anything close to a good game was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (25 points). He scored nearly as many as the rest of the starting lineup combined.

Canada’s greatest French antagonist was Evan Fournier, a lightly regarded NBA regular who plays for the worst team in the league. Fournier hit a three in the last two minutes from a couple of arrondissements away. That broke Canada’s will.

Losing this way at this stage is a bitter disappointment to a program that thought of itself as a contender to knock off the Americans.

The only good news is that they’re still young. Gilgeous-Alexander is 26. Jamal Murray is 27. A wave of good young players is coming up behind them.

Still, this golden generation for men’s basketball in this country will have to wait until Los Angeles 2028 to make its breakout.

More to come.

Follow the latest news and highlights from the Paris Olympic Games