Former Knicks Help France Upset Canada

France is moving on to the semifinals behind former New York Knicks guards Evan Fournier and Frank Ntilikina.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 6, 2024

Jul 30, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; France shooting guard Evan Fournier (10) celebrates with the crowd after France defeated Japan in men’s basketball group B play during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

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New York Knicks

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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Published Aug 6, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.