Jamal Murray and Team Canada have reached the end of the road of their quest to win a gold (or any medal) at the 2024 Paris Olympics, as they lost to Victor Wembanyama and France on Tuesday to the tune of an 82-73 score.
It was a frustrating end for the gold medal aspirations of Canada, which finished group play unscathed, winning all of their three assignments before going to the knockout phase of the tournament.
Murray was of little help to Canada against France, as he only had seven points with five rebounds and an assist while going only 3/13 from the field. He also finished the game with a minus-7. It was far from the form he usually carries in the NBA where he plays for the Denver Nuggets.
Via Sam Amick of The Athletic:
“France played a hell of a game,” Murray said. “Give it to them. They played physical. They played like they’re at home, and they brought that energy from the start.”
Murray was already under fire for his disappointing performance in Paris before the France game. Some gave him a chance and thought he’d shine in the knockout game against Le Bleus, but that clearly did not happen. After four games in the Olympics, Murray averaged just 6.0 points on a brutal 29 field goal percentage. Moreover, he made just 2 of his 14 takes from behind the arc overall.
In any case, the Nuggets hope that Murray will not be as ineffective for them when the new NBA season comes around.
In the 2023-24 campaign, Murray averaged 21.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.5 assists through 59 games.
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