Greece’s valiant effort not enough as Canada prevails 86-79

A final comeback for Greece was not enough and Canada, the pre-game favorite, came out on top, 86-79, in the national basketball team's opening Group A game at the 2024 Olympics in Lille, France, Saturday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points for Greece, 18 in the second half, and Kostas Papanikolaou added 17, but none in the final period. R.J. Barrett led Canada with 23 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillon Brooks added 21 and 14, respectively.

Greece, which never led during the game, trailed by as many as 16 points (40-56) early in the third quarter. It whittled Canada's lead down to as few as 2 points (78-80) 1:04 before the end, after Thomas Walkup stole the ball and fed Antetokounmpo for a dunk. But, in Canada's next possession, Gilgeous-Alexander banked in a shot over Antetokounmpo's outstretched hands to make it 82-78 42.8 seconds from the end. This...