The Canadian men’s basketball team won its second straight Olympic game on Tuesday, and for the second straight time, former Duke basketball star [autotag]RJ Barrett[/autotag] led the team in scoring.
Canada beat Australia 93-83 on Tuesday, and Barrett made eight of his 14 attempts from the floor to finish with 24 points.
The Australians built a 49-45 lead through the first half of the game, but a six-point swing in the third quarter gave Barrett and the Canadians the advantage. Canada then dominated the final quarter, only allowing 13 points en route to the double-digit victory.
Canada also beat Greece, led by two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, for an 86-79 win on Saturday. Barrett finished that game with 23 points, making eight of his 13 attempts. He’s averaging 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.5 steals through two games in Paris.
With the top two countries from every four-team group assured of a spot in the quarterfinals, Barrett and his countrymen have virtually locked up their place in the elimination bracket.
RJ Barrett today:
24 PTS (25 MIN)
7 REB
5 AST
2 STL
3-6 3PLed Canada in scoring in both games so far. pic.twitter.com/SZEmbUaC8h
— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 30, 2024
Barrett, who put together one of the best freshman seasons in Duke history back in 2018-19, went third overall to the New York Knicks in the 2019 NBA draft. He was traded to the Toronto Raptors back in December.