Men’s basketball tipped off with quarter-finals action on Tuesday, 6 August at Bercy Arena in the city of Paris as eight teams battled for four semi-final berths at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The day began with a comfortable win for Germany over Greece, 76-63. Franz Wagner continued his strong play at the Games, scoring 18 points to go with three rebounds, two assists and two steals. The Germans forced 15 turnovers, including nine steals, and scored 20 points off these turnovers. Greece shot the ball efficiently inside the arc, finishing at 68 per cent, but only shot 27 per cent from three-point land. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Greece with 22 points on 14 shots.

Early on in game number two between Serbia and Australia, it appeared as if the Boomers would coast into the semi-finals in blowout fashion. Instead, Serbia mounted a massive comeback to win 95-90 in overtime. While both teams shot at a similar clip, the biggest factors in the game were second-chance points and free throws. Serbia scored 23 second-chance points compared to just 11 from Australia. The Serbians also got to the line 18 times while Australia shot just nine free throws as both teams converted at 78-per-cent clip.

Nikola Jokic continued his strong play, stuffing the stat sheet with 21 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 17 points, six rebounds and five assists. Australia was led by the duo of Patty Mills and Josh Giddey, who combined for 51 points.

After falling to Germany in the final game of group play, France got back on track with a 82-73 win over Canada, opening up a double-digit lead early and holding off a late surge. Neither team shot the ball well from the field but the biggest discrepancy came at the free-throw line. France shot a whopping 42 free throws compared to just 25 for Canada, shooting 79 per cent and 72 per cent, respectively.

Guerschon Yabusele led France with 22 points, followed by 20 from Isaia Cordinier. Victor Wembanyama scored just seven points on 2-10 shooting. Canada was led by 27 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an additional 16 points from RJ Barrett.

The United States closed out the day with a decisive 122-87 victory over Brazil. The Brazilians were competitive until Team USA flipped a switch in the second quarter, ending the first half on a 23-5 run behind outstanding offence and stifling defence. Devin Booker led Team USA with 18 points, including 5-7 from deep. Anthony Edwards added 17 points of his own. Georginho De Paula led Brazil with 15 points.