Canada beats Greece 86-79 in Paris Olympics men’s basketball opener

RJ Barrett and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 23 and 21 points as Canada defeated Greece 86-79 in Olympic men’s basketball action on Saturday at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Dillon Brooks and Jamal Murray — who came off the bench — added 13 and eight points, respectively, for Canada (1-0). Murray iced the game with a pair of clutch free throws late in the fourth quarter, before Barrett put an exclamation mark on the win with a slam dunk at the buzzer.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a game-high 34 points for Greece (0-1), which qualified for the Olympics after winning the qualifying tournament in Piraeus, Greece. 

It was Canada’s first appearance at the Games since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Canada went 2-1 in exhibition play leading up to the Games, having qualified at the 2023 FIBA World Cup where it won bronze.

The two teams entered Saturday’s contest with the 14th-ranked Greeks holding a 2-1 edge over seventh-ranked Canadians. Their last meeting came at an Olympic qualifying event in Victoria in 2021, a 97-91 Canada win.

Seventh-ranked Canada will next play No. 5 Australia on Tuesday.