Team France vs. Brazil kicked off with uncertainty as the French men struggled to beat Brazil in this debut matchup. However, the competition switched sides after Team France’s incredible and efficient performance in the third quarter. Nicolas Batum and Victory Wembanyama controlled the team’s overall performance while rookie Bilal Coulibaly’s sixth-man input had a huge influence on the game. What were some key moments in the debut match?
France vs. Brazil Game Recap
The Brazilian team started the game strongly by leading in the first quarter with an eight-point margin against Team France (23-15). Basketball fans reacted as many said that the French Basketball team is “cooked.” Team Brazil came to the Paris Olympics winning three out of four pre-Olympic games; while the French team lost three out of four pre-Olympic games, therefore these teams’ past performances justified the thoughts of France being “cooked.”
Though the table turned in the second quarter, it wasn’t worthy enough to be the turning point for the French team. Team Brazil maintained their lead against France until a few minutes to the end of the second quarter when Victor Wembanyama made a dunk assisted by Nicolas Batum to make the score (34-34).
The Turning Point of the Game
After struggling through the first quarter Team France finished the first half with a three-point margin. After equalizing in the second quarter, the French and Brazilian teams went 5-to-2 to end the first half scoring 39 and 36 points respectively. However, this wasn’t the turning point of the games.
The French team consists of bigs that could play a top-notch defensive game. Also, the second half of this game proved it. Team France’s defense was so tight that Team Brazil’s offense couldn’t penetrate. In the third quarter of the game, could only score half of France’s 18 points. This third quarter is the turning point because of the French team’s efficient and effective defense mechanism. Also, if Team France didn’t defend the game that way, the Brazilian team would have closed out the game. Finally, Team France played the “best offense is defense” strategy while converting the opposing team’s defensive loopholes into crucial points.
Victory Wembanyama’s Debut Olympic Performance
After an incredible second half, the game ended 78-66 with France leading with 12 points. Victor Wembanyama was the top performer for France as he almost got a double-double. At the end of the match, he scored 19 points, grabbed nine rebounds, four steals and three blocks.
Wembanyama displayed a little 3-and-D performance today on the court, however it was below average. Out of four three-pointers, the 20-year-old-forward got one. But his offensive effort was shined more in the field as he made 53.8% of his shots, shooting 7-of-13.
The 7 ‘4 player didn’t fall short of expectations defensively. In the NBA League, the star rookie averaged 3.6 blocks per game. Therefore, protecting the rim and causing turnovers through steals is a piece of cake for NBA 2023 Rookie of the Year.
Final Thoughts
Team Brazil played good defense but lacked a little offense when the French team became locked in from the third quarter. Aside from Victor Wembanyama, Bilal Coulibaly’s debut appearance made a huge impact towards the end of the third quarter. Coulibaly came off the bench for nine minutes to score three points and get a block. Therefore, if he’s given more minutes off the bench he could break out in his next match. Gui Santos from Brazil also made an impact from the bench as he scored nine points, three assists, three steals, and two rebounds. Santon displayed his skill as a good sixth man and can do better.
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