Josh Cohen

Fournier captured his third bronze medal with the French national team, which defeated Australia in the third-place game and won six of its eight 2019 FIBA World Cup contests. The 26-year-old, who is getting ready to begin his sixth season with the Orlando Magic, averaged 19.8 points per game throughout the tournament, fourth best among current NBA players.

Fournier’s best game, despite it coming in a loss, was against the Aussies in the second round when he erupted for 31 points on 11-of-23 shooting from the floor. The 6-foot-7, 205-pounder was clutch throughout the competition, too, burying several late-game shots, including in the opener against Germany when he drilled a baseline jumper with 32 seconds left to seal France’s win.

France also snapped the U.S.'s streak of 58 straight wins in international tournaments with NBA players. Fournier led France, which ended the game on an 18-3 run, with 22 points in that quarterfinal victory.

France, by virtue of finishing with the second highest ranking among European countries, qualified for next year’s Olympics, joining Spain, Argentina, Australia, USA, Nigeria, Iran and Japan. Four additional teams will clinch their spots during the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which will take place a few weeks before the start of the Olympics.

Playing in his first ever FIBA World Cup, Vucevic was solid for his country despite them winning just one of their five games during the competition. He was particularly excellent against Turkey in the classification round, posting 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in that contest.

In Montenegro’s lone victory against Japan, the Magic’s current longest-tenured player recorded 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor. Although he only attempted 10 total 3-pointers during the competition, the 28-year-old shot it well from deep, making four of them.

It was the first time Montenegro participated in a World Cup since joining FIBA as an independent nation in 2006.

Nigeria will play in its third consecutive Olympics after finishing the 2019 FIBA World Cup with the highest ranking among teams from Africa. After putting up a good effort against both Russia and Argentina in the first round, the Nigerians reeled off three straight victories to conclude their time in China. One of those wins came against the host nation in the finale. Aminu filled up the stat sheet in that victory, posting six points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block.

Although his stats weren’t dazzling – averaging 8.2 points on 45 percent shooting – the soon-to-be 29-year-old’s contributions were significant. He was arguably Nigeria’s most stifling defender and was often his team’s secondary or tertiary playmaker. Aminu, one of Nigeria’s top players in 2012 at the London Olympics, will now have the opportunity to play in his second Olympics.

Canada not having most of its top NBA players allowed Birch, who re-signed with the Magic this summer, to have a prominent role with the team. The soon-to-be 27-year-old scored in double figures three times throughout the tournament and averaged 11.6 points on nearly 58 percent shooting from the field.

The only player in the competition who averaged more offensive rebounds than Birch, who grabbed four of them per game, was South Korea’s Ra Guna. Orlando’s center averaged 7.0 rebounds per game, 19th best at the 2019 World Cup.

Although he missed all four of his attempts, the 6-foot-9, 233-pounder wasn’t shy to take shots from beyond the arc. If he’s able to help stretch the floor this upcoming season, the Magic will have three centers – Vucevic and Mo Bamba the other two – who can all knock down the long ball.

Canada will have a chance to qualify for the Olympics at next summer’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which will feature four six-team tournaments.

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2019 FIBA World Cup Magic Recap

Unlike the last time France and Australia played in this tournament, when the two teams combined for 198 points, Sunday’s bronze-medal game was more of a defensive slugfest.

Also different from the prior meeting was the outcome, as the French used a 22-4 second-half run to defeat the Aussies, 67-59, and capture the bronze for the second straight FIBA World Cup.

Nando de Colo scored 19 points for France, which outscored Australia by 12 in the fourth quarter. The Orlando Magic’s Evan Fournier, the only other French player to score in double figures, finished with 16 points.

Although Australia shot a respectable 46 percent from the field overall, France’s perimeter defense was stifling, as the Aussies made just four of their 17 3-point attempts. They also only took nine free throws, making five of them, and turned the ball over 19 times, which led to 12 of France’s points.

France, which trailed by as much as 15, got off to a sluggish start, missing two of its first eight shots of the game before scoring just 21 first-half points.

Down the stretch, the French got a big boost from point guard Andrew Albicy, who drilled a pair of 3-pointers including one with 1:06 remaining that extended France’s lead to seven. Fournier, who now heads into the NBA season with tremendous momentum following a terrific World Cup, connected on a crucial layup with just over four minutes left.

Australia went ice cold late, missing six of its last eight shots while committing five turnovers in the final 4 ½ minutes. Joe Ingles led the Aussies with 17 points, while Patty Mills had 15, nearly seven points lower than his tournament average.

France and Australia will now turn their attention to next year’s Olympics, which they have both qualified for. The other countries that have already clinched their spots are the USA, Argentina, Spain, Nigeria and Iran. Japan, by virtue of hosting the Olympics, is also in. Four additional teams will be added to the field via next July’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which will feature four six-team tournaments with the winners of each advancing.

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Fournier, France Beat Australia, Claim Bronze

France, coming off an historic win over the U.S., had no answer for Argentina’s swarming defense and crisp ball movement in Friday’s 80-66 loss in the semifinals of the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

The Orlando Magic’s Evan Fournier and the New York Knicks’ Frank Ntilikina led France, which was outscored in every quarter, with 16 points apiece, while Nando de Colo chipped in with 11 points.

39-year-old Luis Scola, who played in the NBA for 10 years with five different teams, posted 28 points, making eight of his 17 shot attempts, three of his four 3-point tries and nine of his 10 free throws. Gabriel Deck finished with 13 points for the Argentinians, while Facundo Campazzo tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

The Argentinians, who limited the French to 39 percent shooting from the floor and 23 percent from beyond the arc, went on an 8-0 run after a Mathias Lessort dunk gave the French a short-lived one-point lead early in the second quarter.

France had plenty of chances to cut into its deficit, but were unable to capitalize at the free throw line, where it made just 13 of its 25 attempts. Fournier, who also struggled from 3-point distance (1-of-6), missed four foul shots, while Rudy Gobert, a non-factor in this contest after dominating the U.S. in the quarterfinals, missed three of his four tries.

France will now look to claim the bronze for the second straight FIBA World Cup. To do that, it will have to defeat Australia, a team it lost to in a thriller in the second round of this tournament. Australia fell to Spain in double overtime in the other semifinal matchup.

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Fournier, France Fall to Argentina in World Cup Semifinals

Before Wednesday’s FIBA World Cup quarterfinal game against France, the U.S. had won 58 straight international tournament games with NBA players.

That streak is now over, as France’s own collection of NBA talent, notably the Orlando Magic’s Evan Fournier, the Utah Jazz's Rudy Gobert and the New York Knicks' Frank Ntilikina, helped the French pull off the shocking upset, winning 89-79 to advance to the next round.

The last time the USA lost with NBA players in a tournament was in 2006 during the World Cup, then known as the World Championship, when Greece defeated the Americans in the semifinals of that competition. Prior to the start of this year's World Cup, the U.S. lost an exhibition game to Australia.

Fournier, who has been spectacular throughout this competition, posted 22 points on 9-of-21 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 from 3-point range.

France, which ended the game on an 18-3 run, took a two-point advantage when the 6-foot-7, 205-pounder converted on a driving layup with 3:23 remaining. He also had a pair of crucial assists on France’s ensuing two possessions.

The U.S., which trailed by 10 in the third quarter before storming back behind strong play from the Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell, led by seven with just under eight minutes left in the final frame. However, the Americans missed six straight shots subsequently and 10 of their final 11 attempts.

They also struggled from the free throw line down the stretch. Marcus Smart missed four foul shots in the fourth, while Kemba Walker, who finished with just 10 points, missed two at the line.

Aside from making a huge impact on the defensive side, where he blocked three shots, Gobert made his presence felt on the offensive end, too, tallying 21 points and grabbing seven offensive rebounds.

Not only did the French keep their hopes alive of winning the gold for the first time in a FIBA World Cup tournament, they have also now qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo thanks to Australia defeating Czech Republic in the final quarterfinal game.

Despite their loss against France, the Americans already qualified for the Olympics by finishing among the top two in their region. The countries that have already secured their spots are the USA, Argentina, Spain, France, Australia, Nigeria, Iran and Japan. USA, hoping to now finish no worse than fifth in this year's World Cup, will play Serbia in the consolation bracket on Thursday. France will square off against Argentina and Spain will take on Australia in the two semifinal matchups.

Fournier, who is averaging 21.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in this tournament while shooting nearly 45 percent from beyond the arc, has been one of the World Cup’s top performers. He currently ranks fourth in scoring, second among NBA players behind Australia’s Patty Mills, who is averaging 22.2 points per game.

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Fournier, France Shock USA to Advance at World Cup

Even though France had already clinched its spot in the quarterfinals of the 2019 FIBA World Cup prior to Monday’s action, its matchup with Australia on Monday was significant.

The team that won would avoid a quarterfinal matchup with the United States, assuming it eliminated Brazil in the final game of the second round (which they ended up doing), while the loser would be forced to try their luck against the Americans.

In what turned out to be one of the more competitive games in the tournament thus far, Australia edged France, 100-98. Therefore, the French will square off against the USA in the next round, while the Australians will take on the Czech Republic, which advanced as a result of the Americans defeating Brazil.

Evan Fournier, who is getting ready to begin his sixth season with the Orlando Magic, did all that he could do to try and keep France unbeaten, erupting for 31 points on 11-of-23 shooting from the field. Nando de Colo was also spectacular, posting 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting.

With the French down by two after Matthew Dellavedova buried a pair of free throws on Australia’s prior possession, de Colo converted on a layup to even the score with 16 seconds left. Dellavedova, staying aggressive, initiated contact again on Australia's next trip down the floor, making one of two at the stripe to put his team back in front.

France was then unable to get a shot off on its final possession, as Andrew Albicy’s inbounds pass intended for de Colo was stolen by Patty Mills.

Mills exploded for 30 points for Australia, which shot 58 percent from the field, while Joe Ingles, who connected on a critical driving layup with just over a minute left, scored 23. Nicolas Batum, who finished with 13 points, was the only other French player besides Fournier and de Colo to score in double figures.

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2019 FIBA World Cup: Fournier vs. Australia

Khem Birch stuffed the stat sheet in Canada’s final game of the 2019 FIBA World Cup, posting 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three steals and one block. However, the Canadians were unable to hold off Germany, falling 82-76 on Monday.

The Orlando Magic’s 6-foot-9, 233-pounder was efficient, too, making six of his seven field goal attempts and all three of his free throws.

After Canada took an 11-point lead with just under five minutes left in the third quarter, Germany responded by going on a 15-4 run to close out the period. Led by Dennis Schroder, who finished with 21 points, the Germans took full control in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Canadians by six in the final frame.

Canada struggled to get into a rhythm throughout, especially from 3-point range where they made just 23 percent of its shots.

Kyle Wiltjer led Canada with 18 points, while Cory Joseph and Melvin Ejim each scored nine. The Canadians, playing without most of their NBA players in this tournament including Andrew Wiggins and R.J. Barrett, finished the competition in 21st place, good enough to qualify for next year’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

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2019 FIBA World Cup: Birch vs. Germany

Behind another strong performance from Nikola Vucevic, Montenegro notched its first win in the World Cup since joining FIBA as an independent nation in 2006.

A few weeks away from starting his eighth season with the Orlando Magic, Vucevic recorded 18 points in his country’s 80-65 victory over Japan on Monday in their last game of this year’s competition.

The 28-year-old center, who averaged 14.6 points in the tournament, shot 8-of-13 from the field and drilled both of his 3-point attempts. He also grabbed seven rebounds and blocked one shot.

Montenegro outscored Japan, which will host the 2020 Summer Olympics, in three of the four quarters. Nikola Ivanovic posted 12 points, while Bojan Dubljevic and Milko Bjelica each scored 10 for the Montenegrins, who shot 49 percent from the field.

The Memphis Grizzlies’ Yuta Watanabe erupted for 34 points for the Japanese, tied for the most points scored by a player in the tournament so far this year.

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2019 FIBA World Cup: Vucevic vs. Japan

The Nigerian national basketball team will be heading to their third straight Summer Olympics after finishing the 2019 FIBA World Cup with the highest ranking among teams from Africa.

Needing to win its final game of the World Cup to be guaranteed a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after Tunisia defeated Angola earlier in the day, Nigeria held off host China in Sunday’s 86-73 victory.

After China pulled within three with just under five minutes left in the fourth, the Nigerians scored nine unanswered points to extend their lead to double digits. Josh Okogie, who is getting ready to begin his second season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, subsequently scored seven straight points after China closed the gap again.

Okogie led Nigeria with 19 points, while Ekpe Udoh scored 13. The San Antonio Spurs’ Chimezie Metu, who hit a big 3-pointer during that 9-0 run, finished with 11 points and the Orlando Magic’s Al-Farouq Aminu stuffed the stat sheet with six points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block.

Nigeria, which trailed by seven in the first quarter, shot 52 percent from the field and made 15 of its 17 free throw attempts.

Aminu will now have the opportunity to play in his second Olympics. The 6-foot-9 forward, who signed with the Magic as a free agent earlier this summer, participated in the 2012 Olympics in London. He wasn’t able to play for his country in 2016 in Rio, however.

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2019 FIBA World Cup: Aminu vs. China

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