Canadian men’s basketball team beats Australia, improves to 2-0 at Olympics

The Canadian men’s basketball team closed in on clinching an Olympic quarterfinal spot with a 93-83 win over Australia on Tuesday.

Canada (2-0) is the only unbeaten team in Group A heading into Friday’s final preliminary-round game against Spain (1-1). 

The top two teams in each of the three groups automatically qualify for the quarterfinals.

Canada overcame a four-point halftime deficit against Australia by dominating the second half.

Toronto Raptors forward/guard RJ Barrett led Canada with 24 points, while Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous Alexander finished with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Houston Rockets guard Dillon Brooks also added 16 points.

The Canadian women’s team lost its opening game to France 75-54. They’re back in action on Thursday against Australia.

Defence was the name of the game for Canada, as the team picked up 11 steals, forced 18 turnovers from Australia, and won the points off turnovers battle 28-10, with much of that damage coming in the second half.

The most impactful change came when coach Jordi Fernandez switched Lugentz Dort onto Josh Giddey, trying to match the oversized Australian guard with a bigger and more physical defender than Brooks.

“We have ideas, but then the players have to execute them, and he was amazing,” Fernandez said after the game, per Sportsnet’s Arash Madani. “Lu has been amazing back-to-back games defensively. Right now, he’s making a statement, and I’m happy, very happy for him.”

Canada takes on Spain at 11:15 a.m. ET on Friday.