Olympics Men’s Basketball Day 1 Winners: Australia, Germany, France
Olympic basketball in the 2024 Paris Games has been off to a hot start, with ball clubs from different nations slugging it out for a chance to qualify for the medal rounds and call themselves the world’s best.
Australia and Spain will open the men’s tournament in the Group Phase A while Group Phase B will begin with the battle between Japan and Germany to be followed by Brazil meeting the host team France in the main game.
Australia wins opener versus Spain
Australia opened the Men’s Basketball tournament with a bang by defeating world’s No. 2 Spain 92-80 in the Group A phase.
NBA veteran Patty Mills opened the scoring for the No. 5 ranked Aussie team by converting three free throws followed by Jock Landale three pointer to have a 6-0 lead early in the opening frame.
The Boomers erected a double-digit lead in the 1st half of play but Spain refused to give up and even took the lead for a while before the Aussies put the game away during the final frame.
Josh Giddey, Jock Landale and Patty Mills combine for 56 of Australia's 92 points in their Group A win.
The debuting Giddey wrote himself into the record books by becoming the first player to combine 15+ points, 7+ rebounds and 7+ assist in his first game at the Olympics, putting his name alongside the legendary Drazen Petrovic who made the same feat in 1984 against Italy.
Germany dominates Japan
Germany showed their might against Japan to secure their first Group Phase B game in the Paris Olympics.
The No. 3 ranked Germany dominated the No. 26 Japan 97-77 led by NBA-based Wagner brothers, Franz and Moritz, with the former the game's top scorer with 22 points. Ever-reliable veteran Dennis Schroeder also chipped in 13 points and 12 assists.
A combined 36 points from Rui Hachimura and Yutanabe (who both played in the NBA) were not enough to give Japan a win over the reigning World Cup champions.
In the first two quarters of play, the Japanese managed to hold the lead of the Germans into single digit but was unable to sustain the pace in the second half as the Die Mannschaft flexed their might.
Germany is hoping to secure a first Olympic medal in men’s basketball after winning its first world title in 2023.
Host France defeated Brazil
Host team and world’s No. 9 ranked France defeated No. 12 Brazil 78-66 in full-pack Stade Pierre Mauroy where fans cheered and sang to the rhythm of 'tambour' drums in support of Les Bleus.
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama who’s a first time Olympian scored 19 points to lead his team to victory while another NBA veteran Nicolas Batum added the same number of points for the team.
The NBA sophomore nicknamed “The Alien” because of his 7-foot-3 inches (2.22 m) frame, added nine rebounds, four steals, three blocks and two assists in his debut game as an Olympian. He also shot 7-of-13 from the field.
The opening game win for Les Bleus tied them with Germany to lead Group Phase B in the standings.
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It wasn’t the smoothest of starts for NLEX, which found itself down by 11 early in the game. But the tide shifted in the second quarter, where the Road Warriors erupted for a 34-12 run behind the efforts of Robert Bolick, Dominic Fajardo, Tony Semerad, and Xyrus Torres to seize a 52-36 halftime lead.
Blackwater attempted a late push, cutting the gap to 76-65 in the fourth quarter, but NLEX responded with a 12-5 counter that put the game out of reach. Semerad, who buried three triples in the payoff period, earned Finals MVP honors with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Torres topped the scoring for NLEX with 19 markers, while Bolick came close to a triple-double with eight points, six boards, and nine assists. JB Bahio and Fajardo chipped in 12 and 10 markers, respectively. As a team, the Road Warriors torched the net from beyond the arc, going 18-of-34, with Semerad and Torres sinking four each.
Sedrick Barefield paced Blackwater with 15 points, while Richard Escoto added 14. The Bossing, despite falling short in the finals, had an impressive run in the preliminaries, including a comeback win over NLEX, 95-90, earlier in the tournament.
The championship serves as a timely boost for NLEX heading into the new PBA season. Last year, the Road Warriors finished second in the Philippine Cup eliminations before bowing out in the quarterfinals against Rain or Shine. Deputy mentor Adonis Tierra called the shots in their last two games, steering the team to become the second straight PBA squad to lift the Kadayawan crown, following Rain or Shine’s sweep in 2024. NLEX closed the tournament with a 3-1 card, their lone loss coming at the hands of Blackwater.
In the battle for third place, Phoenix avoided a winless campaign with a convincing 101-81 rout of Converge. Raffy Verano led the way with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Tyler Tio and Kai Ballungay contributed 17 and 15 markers, respectively. The win marked the first for new head coach Willy Wilson, who took over during the offseason. Coincidentally, Phoenix also defeated Converge for third place in last year’s edition of the tournament.
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All eyes in Taiwan will be on the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, which will host a blockbuster doubleheader featuring some of the region’s most decorated clubs.
The action tips off with a clash between the B.LEAGUE champions Utsunomiya Brex and the P. LEAGUE+ runners-up Taipei Fubon Braves. Utsunomiya, led by veteran guard Makoto Hiejima, entered as one of Japan’s most successful franchises. The Braves, meanwhile, look to prove their resilience after falling short in a grueling seven-game finals series last season, banking on the leadership of Chinese Taipei legend Lin Chih-Chieh.
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Game schedule (HKT):
- Utsunomiya vs. Taipei Fubon – 6:30 PM
- Taoyuan vs. Ryukyu – 8:30 PM