Group A got their second round of games underway on Monday in Rio. Here’s how the action unfolded.
France 88, China 60
In the third and final game of Monday’s group play action, France recorded a wire-to-wire win over China. The French shot an effective 60% from the field while also playing suffocating defense that caused the Chinese to shoot 38% as a team.
China’s record drops to 0-2 and France improves to 1-1; both return to action Wednesday as France takes on Serbia while China meets Venezuela.
NBA Watch:
France
Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs): 14 points, 8 assists
Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz): 10 points, 8 rebounds
Nicolas Batum (Charlotte Hornets): 7 points, 10 rebounds
China
Wang Zhelin (drafted by Memphis Grizzlies in 2016): 11 points, 5-for-6 shooting
United States 113, Venezuela 69
In a game that was predicted to be another United States blowout, proceedings didn’t go as planned to start against Venezuela. After the first quarter, the two teams were tied at 18 apiece and Venezuela’s pesky defense appeared to be disrupting the USA’s usually steady scoring flow.
But, the next three quarters were a different story as the United States flexed their muscle and outscored Venezuela 95-51 en route to a comfortable victory. They now stand at 2-0 in group play with a matchup against fellow Group A leader, Australia (2-0) on deck for Wednesday, 6:00 PM (EST).
NBA Watch:
United States
Paul George (Indiana Pacers): 20 points, 6-for-7 shooting
Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls): 17 points, 3-for-5 shooting from three
Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors): 16 points, 100% shooting (5-for-5)
DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers): 14 points, 9 rebounds
Australia 95, Serbia 80
In a Group A showdown featuring two undefeated teams, Australia won a thriller in Rio to improve to 2-0. The final score isn’t indicative of how close and competitive this one truly was, as Australia pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring Serbia 33-17 in the final 10 minutes.
Many NBA players starred in Monday afternoon’s contest, here’s how they fared.
NBA Watch:
Australia
Andrew Bogut (Dallas Mavericks): 9 points, 12 rebounds in just over 24 minutes
Patty Mills (San Antonio Spurs): Game-high 26 points on 8-for-17 shooting
Matthew Dellavedova (Milwaukee Bucks): 23 points, a game-high 13 assists and 36 efficiency rating
Aron Baynes (Detroit Pistons): 10 points, 7 rebounds
Joe Ingles (Utah Jazz): 10 points, 5 assists
Serbia
Bogdan Bogdanovic (Sacramento Kings): 12 points, 8 rebounds
Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets): 7 points on 3-for-6 shooting
