Undefeated in six warm-up games, the Blues offered themselves a final, well-made duel against Australia, a candidate for a medal. In front of the score for thirty-eight minutes, France were surprised at the end of the match and conceded their first defeat (78-74). A bad for a good ?
evan almighty
For their seventh (and last) preparation match, their second in Japan, the Blues find their captain, Nicolas Batum and, let’s say their traditional five. France thus starts on the hats of wheel, carried by a boiling Evan Fournier of entry.
The Knicks guard launches with two shots from behind the arc, then sneaks in to the layup for the basket plus the foul. He punctuates his passage with an interception concluded at the layup, then another, to already give the Blues a twelve-point lead (19-5). Twelve, like his personal total after the first quarter!
Rudy Gobert (9 pts, 8 rbds, 2 cts) dominates inside with a big dunk but he also misses several finishes under the circle… and takes a bad elbow in the lumbar, signed Joe Ingles, his former teammate Jazz! Mounted at +14, the Blues in turn suffered a weak moment, with the second Australian rotation which managed to restore the balance a little. It’s still 27-19 after the first ten minutes of play.
The Blues under the extinguisher
In the second quarter, the Boomers tighten the game, and Josh Giddey begins to show himself. The defenses take precedence over the attacks with four minutes without a single point for France, and Australia which amounts to only -3 (27-24), while Cordinier and Poirier are countered, one at 3- points the other under the circle…
Tonic at will, Josh Green is injured on a “move” not completely mastered and the Blues resume their march forward, with Cordinier (12 pts) who strikes twice behind the arc. The rear of Bologna will even seek its own rebound (after a nasty plank) to breathe new life into France.
In a much more closed period (12-12 in the end), Australia limited the damage defensively, but still remained at -8 (39-31). It must be recognized that with their 3/18 from 3-pointers in the first half, the Boomers cannot hope for much better…
Conversely, the recurring problem of the Blues, the defensive rebound, the rest, with 12 offensive catches from Australia.
Duop Reath on poster
Put back in place at the break, the Blues resume the game with good intentions, as on this easy dunk for Gobert, but they especially benefit from the great offensive form of Evan Fournier who remains on his cloud. If Giddey puts his nose to the window again, and brings his people down to -2 only, it is indeed Fournier who, with his 25 points, gives +8 to France in the middle of the period.
Australia nevertheless dominates its subject in this third quarter (which it wins 25-19), offering a press zone, but above all more intensity in defense, causing a violation of the 24-second clock in particular. Like De Colo and Fall who stupidly lose balls, the Blues are in the hard and lack inspiration in attack. It takes a final dunk from Fall to keep a short lead before the last quarter (58-56).
Coming close on several occasions, the Australians did not however manage to pass the course. When Matisse Thybulle comes to slam a dunk on a (new) failure from Mills, there is for example Cordinier then Yabusele to put back a gap. But the Boomers are more pressing with Duop Reath who comes in particular to post Gobert.
France at fault
Perfectly served by Giddey, Kay scored his layup and gave Australia the advantage for the first time in the match. One minute and 30 seconds from the end of the match!
The end of the match is in any case marked by several controversial whistles, with a justified unsportsmanlike from Yabusele who bludgeons Mills on a fake shot, then Gobert who receives another, much less logical, after an elbow unintentional on Nick Kay, following a layup in traffic.
Clumsy throughout the match, Mills scored a layup that gave his team the advantage 35 seconds from the end. Dexterous throughout the match, Evan Fournier, on the other hand, misses a shot wide open to go back in front. The latter will register a layup to come back to 76-74 but Nick Kay closes the scoring on throws (78-74).
Very well started on the heat stroke of Evan Fournier, who finished with 29 points, the French team was much less convincing in the second half, with a few slumps and a defeat which can only do him good. well, just before the start of the competition on August 25 against Canada.
Photo credit: Lenoir/The Agency/FFBB
