FIBA World Cup: Barrett, Canada Foil France Despite 21 From Fournier
A New York Knicks civil war at the onset of the FIBA Basketball World Cup was Thunderstruck.
RJ Barrett's quest for World Cup gold got off to an encouraging start, as he partook in his native Canada's 95-65 victory over Evan Fournier and France in the opener of Group H pool play in Jakarta on Friday.
Though Barrett struggled from the field (1-of-10 en route to five points), Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put in a 27-point, 13-rebound double-double that was more than enough for Canada (1-0) to counter a first-half showcase for Fournier, the Knicks' exiled sharpshooter.
Granted extending playing time in the name of international glory, Fournier had 19 points in the first half, accounting for nearly half of the French tallies over the first 20 minutes. Canada trailed 18-14 after the opening period but built a modest three-point advantage by halftime.
The latter stages, however, were exclusive property of the Canadians: holding Fournier scoreless in the third period, as he was fruitless on four attempts, Gilgeous-Alexander supervised the 25-8 shellacking that proved permanent. Fournier failed to rediscover his scoring touch in a final period defined by substitutions and an ultimately futile attempt to beautify the final score in a group stage that values point differential in the tiebreaking process.
Despite his struggles, Barrett did manage to make positive contributions to the box score in the form of six rebounds and five assists while posting a plus/minus of 24.
Elsewhere in Group H action on Friday, Latvia handled Lebanon by a 109-70 final. Action resumes on Sunday, as Canada faces the victorious Latvians (9:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+) while France (0-1) seeks redemption against Lebanon in the early slate (5:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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