Canada continues to remain impeccable at the Paris Olympics. Australia, steered by Josh Giddey’s well-rounded game held dominion over the Maples in the first half. But the thin advantage wasn’t sufficient to break the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led side. With the help of suffocating defense and ingenious offense, Canada pulled through.

RJ Barrett’s stellar 24 points led the way for the comeback victory. SGA, the immortal technician added 16 points on a stupendous 80% shooting. But even their incredible efforts couldn’t inspire Jamal Murray, whose struggles continued against the Boomers. The Denver Nuggets guard added only five points while shooting 29% from the field.

It’s the second game in a row that Murray has underperformed. When confronted about his rhythmic inconsistency by Donatas Urbonas, the 27-year-old deflected. “I feel great, but I think it is more about the team. If I wasn’t here, the team would keep going, right? It’s about the wins and putting performances on for your country and then putting everything else aside,” said Murray according to Basket News.

In two games at Paris, Jamal Murray is only 6.5 points per contest. Against Greece, his shot-making faltered, but he covered up by becoming the focal playmaker and adding five assists off the bench. However, if the Maple look to achieve a podium finish, they will need the best from Jamal Murray.

It’s not uncharacteristic for the Nuggets starlet to slow down for most of the game. But he usually takes a different form when games grow intense. So far, the bigger the occasion, the bigger the player he becomes. That’s the hope Canada will have from the lethal scorer. Jamal Murray and SGA might be the two best closing options available at Canada’s disposal. Furthermore, they have the ideal supporting cast behind them that defends at high octane and can be deferred to when their specialists are struggling.

Either way, Murray will be the least of the worries for Canada. He has shown to improvise and adapt to conditions throughout his NBA career. Now on the international stage, Murray needs some runs at a game-level intensity to set his feet. But once he does and his creativity returns, the Maple will become bigger tyrants than they presently are.

Defense is the way for Canada

Canada has some gifted scorers on their roster that can sway games within a flash. But a supreme offense isn’t their way of winning. The Canadians find winning to be synonymous with defense, which has been the pivotal reason behind both their wins. Tonight, they hounded Patty Mills, the most celebrated scorer for Australia. Lu Dort and SGA added immense pressure on him throughout the game.

It alleviated his scoring output. Mills finished with only five points. Adding to them curbing the biggest scoring threat, ferocious on-ball defenders like Dort, Brooks, and Gilgeous-Alexander forced 18 turnovers from the Boomers. It resulted in 28 points for Canada in comparison to Australia’s 10 points off turnovers. Canada also had 11 steals to Aussies’ four.

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Against Greece, they managed to isolate Giannis Antetokounmpo, who supplied 34 points for his nation. However, their tenacious defense on the rest of the team, especially the ball handlers helped limit the offensive options available to the Hellas. Judging from the current showings, Canada seems like the biggest threat to Team USA’s gold medal aspirations.

They have credible NBA talent and a well-constructed team that can give Team USA a run for their money. Only a game against Spain remains for Canada, who will hope to keep their record spotless by the end of the group stage. And the chances of that being true can be counted on.