- France suffered a humiliating 95-65 defeat at the hands of Canada in their first game at the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- Evan Fournier gave a rather blunt assessment of what happened in the game
- The French are now almost in must-win territory
Evan Fournier did not mince words after France got blown out by Canada in their opening game of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The French entered the tournament as one of the favorites but were crushed 95-65, and after the game, Evan Fournier kept it real.
“We got our a** kicked,” Fournier said.
"We got our ass kicked."
Evan Fournier keeps it real after France's 30-points loss to Canada.#FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/8hwxobcKA3
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 25, 2023
There was really no other way to describe what happened on the court on Friday.
The French were only trailing 43-40 at halftime, but the floodgates opened in the second half. They were outscored 25-8 in the third quarter, and the game basically ended then and there.
Fournier was really the only bright spot for France offensively, as he had 21 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. The 30-year-old struggled with his shot, though, going 8-19 from the field and 3-13 from beyond the arc.
On defense, the French had no answers for Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, who finished the night with 27 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals.
France Are Now In Danger Of Being Knocked Out In The Group Stage
Our power rankings of the 2023 FIBA World Cup had France at second, and with good reason. They finished as the runner-up in the 2022 EuroBasket and won the silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
With the likes of Fournier, Rudy Gobert, and Nicolas Batum within their ranks, they were supposed to make another deep run, having finished third in the 2019 edition.
After this loss, though, they have all but entered must-win territory if they are to avoid elimination in the group stage. France take on Latvia next on Sunday, and they won their first game against Lebanon.
Should France fail to win that one and Canada beat Lebanon, then they will be eliminated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vsy7lamQCB0
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
