LILLE, France (Reuters) – Frenchman Victor Wembanyama’s brilliant performance led the hosts to a 78-66 win over Brazil, while Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece lost 86-79 to Canada on the opening day of the men’s Olympic basketball tournament on Saturday.
NBA Rookie of the Year Wembanyama led France from a first-quarter deficit to finish with nine rebounds, four steals and two assists for 19 points in total after recovering from a series of early mistakes at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium.
With the momentum back in their favour, France ran roughshod over the South Americans in the Group B clash to cap a dream night in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
“I’m proud to have had the chance to show what we can do in front of so many people,” said Wembanyama. “There’s no sense of self-importance, just a desire to keep working and get better with every game.”
In Group A, NBA forward Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks was unable to lead his side to victory against a spirited Canada, despite scoring 34 points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the Canadian hero of the night, scoring 21 points in a successful start to the team’s return to the Games for the first time in 24 years.
“It feels good to win, we don’t take it for granted especially in an environment like this. I’ve got a good group around me and I’m always working to be ready for the moment,” he said.
In the earlier Group B match, Germany cruised to an easy 97-77 win over Japan thanks to their potent attack and the pairing of Wagner brothers Franz and Moritz, who combined for 37 points in total.
Japan’s more fluid style was not enough to overcome the world champions, despite the best efforts of Rui Hachimura, who had a thunderous dunk and made 20 points in total and 10 rebounds.
Australia beat Spain 92-80 in the earlier Group A game in a spirited contest that saw Spaniard Usman Garuba involved in an incident with Australian Josh Green that resulted in both players being booked.
The NBA’s Golden State Warriors forward was booed by the crowd after he also fouled Australia’s Josh Giddey.
Three-times silver medallists Spain will be hoping to improve on their sixth-place finish at the Tokyo Games, with captain Rudy Fernandez making a record sixth appearance at the Games, the most by a male basketball player.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina and America Hernandez in Lille, editing by Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris)
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