Two Former Knicks Suffer First Olympic Loss

Two former New York Knicks couldn't help France stay unbeaten in a loss to Germany.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 2, 2024

Jul 30, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; France shooting guard Evan Fournier (10) shoots the ball against Japan centre Hugh Watanabe (34) 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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Two former New York Knicks and the rest of France's national team are shaking their heads after suffering their first loss of the 2024 Paris Olympics in a 85-71 defeat at the hands of Germany.

Evan Fournier and Frank Ntilikina combined for 13 points in France's loss. Fournier had 10 points on 2 of 5 shooting from the field while Ntilikina added three points off the bench of his own.

Germany raced out to a lead in the first quarter, but they really built some distance in the second, holding France to just nine points of offense. This gave Germany a 21-point lead going into the break, one in which France simply could not overcome.

France was led by last year's No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, who had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Germany had a two-headed monster in Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner and Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Schroder, who each had 26 points of their own. Germany improved to 3-0 and are the winners of Group B, which should give them a favorable draw going into the quarterfinals next week.

France is now 2-1, which places the team in second place for Group B behind the Germans. However, they are the only two-win country at the moment, which should place them closer to the top than the bottom for the quarterfinals draw.

France and Germany will learn who they will be facing in the quarterfinals this weekend. Those matches will then take place on Tuesday. Those who win will then advance to Thursday's semifinals. The winners of the semifinals will face off in next Saturday's gold medal match while the losers will compete for the bronze medal.

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Published Aug 2, 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.