(Orleans) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 23 points and Canada continued its warm-up for the men’s Olympic basketball tournament on Friday, winning 85-73 over France.
A star of the Oklahoma City Thunder, SGA scored 13 points in the first half, helping Canada lead 48-44 at the midway point of the game.
He also had five rebounds, five assists and two steals.
RJ Barrett added 21 points, including going 3-for-4 from three-point range.
Jamal Murray was left out as a precaution, the Maple Leaf said.
Guerschon Yabusele led the Blues with 19 points, while Victor Wembanyama was limited to 10 points.
Canada missed just four of 30 free throws (an 86% success rate), while France was 15 of 20 at that level (75%).
Last week, Canada was beaten 86-72 by the United States in Las Vegas.
Canada will conclude its preparatory matches on Sunday against the Puerto Ricans, once again in Orleans (12:30 p.m.).
The Olympic tournament will begin on July 27.
“We’re definitely better than last year,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Everybody can feel it. We’re looking forward to seeing how far we can go (at the Olympics).”
Canada is in Group A with Australia, Greece and Spain.