86-87: France already in the quarter-finals as Gobert fends off fear

The French team sidestepped fears against Olympic runners-up Turkey (86-87) with a decisive Rudy Gobert (20 points and 17 rebounds). Finally, Minnesota his Timberwolves center came up with his two under the rim to force overtime.

And in the first act, we could already see the Frenchman’s physical superiority setting the pace of the match. Turkey was all based on the spark of Sedio Osman and Alperen Seguin, but the French defense drowned out the Ottoman talent in his first ten minutes (11-18).

A French monologue was maintained in the first bar of the second set. His second unit of Vincent Pourier and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was not out of place defensively, allowing the Olympic runner-up to enjoy a gentle lead (15-31, min.14). His third consecutive 3-pointer by Bugrahan Tuncer (Turkey’s top scorer with 22 goals) and his Cedi Osman revitalized the Turks, who entered the break in good spirits (35-43). ).

The team’s upward trajectory, led by Ergin Ataman, was confirmed in the third quarter. The Turkish defense cut off the interior of France. The French team went scoreless for his seven-and-a-half minutes, but at that point Turkey had a comfortable lead (57-49) in favor of a 19-0 run with an inspired tancer from the perimeter. ) faced the final act.

France awoke from their nap in the fourth quarter and joined forces, but the Ottoman team, encouraged by Berlin’s large Turkish community in the stands of the Mercedes-Benz Arena, maintained a solid defense and kept the borders open. I have successfully reached the last minute. Everything must be decided (72-73).

That’s when the party went on a roller coaster. With 19 seconds remaining, Turkey led by 4 points (77-73) thanks to a free throw from Korkmaz. Heurtel scored immediately on the next play (77-75) and Luwawu Cabarrot committed an unsportsmanlike foul on Osman, missing both free throws with 12 seconds left on him.

The Cavaliers player lost the ball on the next possession, and France tied the game in 2.5 seconds with Rudy Gobert’s dunk after evading Fournier’s shot (77-77).

In extra time, Olympic runner-up experience prevailed over Turkey’s illusion, but Turkey nevertheless won the match by enjoying the final possession. Heurtel capped off a frantic game by stealing the ball from his Korkmaz. France will face the winner of Serbia vs. Italy in the quarter-finals this Sunday.