In a matchup between two of the strongest teams in the tournament, France was able to hold off Team USA and advance to the FIBA World Cup Semi-Finals. France was able to hold on to the win thanks to stellar performances from Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier.
Much has been made of top American NBA players declining to participate in this year’s competition. The impact of not having stars like James Harden and Anthony Davis was clear in this matchup. France clearly had the best two NBA players on the floor.
San Antonio Spurs and Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich tried to make adjustments to limit Gobert’s impact.