Just as they did five years ago at the last World Cup, France has come away with the bronze medal.
The French came from 15 down at one point to beat Australia 67-59 and win the third-place game at the FIBA World Cup in China. Former Spur Nando De Colo led the way for France with 19 points, Orlando’s Evan Fournier added 16 but on a rough shooting night (5-of--17), and Charlotte’s Nicolas Batum added nine points and six assists. You can see the game’s highlights above.
After the game, Fournier was talkative, including slamming the travel and schedule of this World Cup, spread all across China.
"But friends of mine like Tobias (Harris) ... it was a great opportunity for him to just see something different and compete. I don't think they really realize how beneficial this is for their career."
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 15, 2019
Fournier very clear about the benefits of playing FIBA & though he admitted he's "exhausted," said, like Marc Gasol a couple of days ago, it's worth it.
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) September 15, 2019
"Our career is only, like, 10-12 years. So you want to give everything you have for 10-12 years. It's not a problem." https://t.co/Eo54szu5pY
Utah was led by 17 points from Utah’s Joe Ingles and 15 from San Antonio’s Patty Mills.