It’s been a perfect start for the Canadian men’s basketball team at the Olympics so far.
Sitting pretty with a 2-0 record and wins over Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece and the always-intimidating Australia, Canada has met its lofty expectations coming into its first Olympics in 24 years.
Standing in the way of a clean sweep in the preliminary round is Spain, a well-renowned powerhouse in the international game. Spain is coming off an important win over Greece in gameday 2 and will be looking to secure a spot in the knockout stages with another victory here.
With a win, Canada will secure the No. 1 seed in its group heading to the next round and Spain would drop to fourth, eliminating them. However, should Spain come away victorious, it would snatch away the No. 1 seed and push Canada to No. 2.
Follow along here for all the key moments and live updates from a high-stakes finale in Group A.
Editor’s note: refresh the page for the latest updates.
LIVE SCORE: CANADA 86, SPAIN 85
Fourth quarter
• 0:02 — Sergio Llull knocks down the wide-open three-pointer off the second-chance opportunity to make it a one-point game with two seconds left. The shots haven’t been falling for the Spaniards, but eventually, push comes to shove for the powerhouse nation. 86-85 Canada.
• 0:39 — RJ Barrett calls his shot in the clutch. Knocks down the corner three-pointer to make it a five-point, two-possession game with less than a minute left. Forces Spain to call a timeout. This is coming down to the wire. 85-80 Canada.
• 1:51 — Brizuela and Nembhard continue to go back and forth, trading two-point baskets in the closing minutes to turn this into an absolute stunner of a showdown. 82-79 Canada.
• 3:03 — What a quarter from Brizuela. Knocks down a pull-up three-pointer to get to 13 points in the quarter and cut the deficit to four.
• 4:22 — The Spaniards continue to keep pace with the Canadians here in the quarter, but Gilgeous-Alexander is starting to show his stuff, using sweet fakes and hesitations to force contact. Hits two of three free throws to keep the lead alive. 78-71 Canada.
• 7:22 — Spain getting carried by Dario Brizuela in the fourth as the shooting guard has scored all eight of Spain’s first points in the frame. Cuts the deficit to only three points, the tightest it’s been since the 4:01 mark in the second quarter. 68-65 Canada.
• 8:54 — Nembhard in takeover mode here in the opening minutes of the fourth, finishes two straight layups on some impressive drives, splitting defenders to get to the rim. That’s 14 for him now. 68-59 Canada.
Third quarter
End of the third quarter: Canada 64, Spain 56
• 1:02 — Much-needed baskets from Andrew Nembhard and Jamal Murray help keep Canada’s gap alive and strong despite the three-point shooting surge from Spain. Nembhard reaches a double-digit point tally for the first time at the Olympics.
• 2:43 — Spain starting to find their rhythm from beyond the arc as Alex Abrines hits a deep pull-up, his third make of the game, and cuts the deficit to six. Overall, Spain is still 6-for-25 from three-point range but has hit three shots so far this third quarter. 59-53 Canada.
• 5:05 — Willy Hernangomez getting into some foul trouble here. Picks up his fourth as he and Luguentz Dort jostle for position under the basket with Spain on offence. The former Pelican takes his seat on the bench to keep him available for crunch time.
• 7:23 — Canada’s defence continues to impress, pressures Lorenzo Brown on the drive and forces a turnover in the paint. On the other end, some clean driving and cutting from Brooks and Powell helped Canada build its lead. Canada 56-42.
• 9:19 — Santi Aldama opens up the scoring in the second half with a tough drive to the rim, misses his initial layup, but follows it up with a strong put-back dunk.
HALF TIME
Second quarter
End of the second quarter: Canada 49, Spain 38
• 0:06 — Murray sinks a floater from the free throw line to help Canada close the half on a 9-2 run and go into the break up double-digits.
• 1:19 — The Canadian crowd gets loud after Gilgeous-Alexander knocks down a pull-up three-pointer, pokes the ball away from Sergio Llull on defence, and finishes the wide-open transition dunk. Important five-point swing for Canada there.
• 3:36 — Canada’s defence comes up big, hounds Spain’s ball-handlers on the perimeter and doesn’t let them get any sort of open look for a shot clock violation. Dillon Brooks nails the open three-pointer on the other end, turning defence into offence. 38-32 Canada.
• 6:41 — The two sides are trading three-pointers as Nembhard hits his second of the game then former Raptor Juancho Hernangomez responds with a quick catch-and-shoot on the other end.
Right after, Canada gets three the (somewhat) hard way as Powell draws a foul on a drive then Rudy Fernandez gets called for a technical for arguing the call. 30-26 Canada.
• 8:15 — Andrew Nembhard comes in clutch and saves a bad possession with a three-pointer as the shot clock expires to retake the lead for Canada. On the next look, Murray shows some slick ball-handling and playmaking to get Powell open for a layup. Big swing. 24-21 Canada.
First quarter
End of the first quarter: Canada 19, Spain 19
• 0:01 — Spain’s Lorenzo Brown drains a pull-up jumper over two defenders from the charity stripe to tie it up at 19 apiece as time expires in the quarter.
• 1:36 — The dangerous Sergio Llull gives Spain the lead for the first time since the opening minute. He knocks down a look from above the break and draws the foul on Jamal Murray for the big four-point play. 17-14 Spain.
• 4:06 — Canada’s perimeter defence has been hounding Spain early on, forcing them into some misses beyond the arc, but Alex Abrines hits his team’s first deep shot of the game. Spain is 1-for-7 from three to start.
• 6:39 — Captain Kelly Olynyk makes an early appearance here for Canada. The Raptors big hasn’t gotten much play so far at these Olympics, but his added size and offensive creativity could be a point of emphasis against a smart Spanish squad. He makes an instant impact and follows up Barrett’s miss for a tip-in layup. 8-4 Canada.
• 9:14 — Willy Hernangomez gets to the rim for a layup and scores the first points of the game off the easy look inside. The size of Spain’s frontcourt could play a big role against the smaller Canadian squad
• 10:00 — Dwight Powell wins the opening tip and we’re off!
Pre-game
• Canada rolling out the same starting five it had in its previous two outings: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Dillon Brooks, RJ Barrett, Dwight Powell
• Spain using the same lineup it used in its win over Greece: Lorenzo Brown, Alex Abrines, Xabi López-Arostegui, Willy Hernangomez, Santi Aldama
• Canada: Harder than you think
Canada’s men’s basketball team faced off against Spain in their final group stage game at the Tokyo Olympics, with both teams looking to secure a spot in the knockout rounds. The game was highly anticipated, as both teams had shown strong performances in their previous matches.
The Canadian team, led by NBA star Andrew Wiggins, came into the game with a 2-1 record, while Spain had a perfect 3-0 record. The Canadians knew they would have to bring their A-game in order to compete with the powerhouse Spanish team.
The game started off with both teams trading baskets, with Canada showing off their strong offensive skills and Spain showcasing their defensive prowess. The first quarter ended with Spain holding a slim lead, but Canada quickly fought back in the second quarter to take the lead.
The game remained close throughout the second half, with both teams exchanging leads and trading baskets. Canada’s defense stepped up in the fourth quarter, holding Spain to just 15 points and securing a hard-fought victory.
Andrew Wiggins led the way for Canada, scoring a game-high 25 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He was supported by his teammates, including Cory Joseph and RJ Barrett, who also had strong performances.
With the win, Canada finishes the group stage with a 3-1 record and secures a spot in the knockout rounds. They will now await their opponent in the quarterfinals, where they will look to continue their impressive run and make a push for a medal.
Overall, Canada’s men’s basketball team showed great resilience and determination in their game against Spain, proving that they are a force to be reckoned with on the international stage. Fans can look forward to more exciting games from this talented team as they continue their Olympic journey.