Hopeless Savior! Ignacio Alarcón Scores 27 Points for Spain, But Teammates Fail to Support

On July 27th, in a basketball match of Group A at the Olympics, Spain suffered a defeat against Australia with a score of 80-92, marking their first loss in the tournament. In this game, Ignacio Alarcón, who plays for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, scored the highest points of the game with 27.

Currently ranked second in the world, Spain faces a significant challenge due to an aging roster, with players like Rudy Fernández (39 years old) and Luul (37 years old) still part of the team. In this match, Spain dug themselves into a deep hole in the first quarter, despite managing to take the lead in the third quarter and keeping the score close during the first half of the fourth quarter. However, they ultimately succumbed to pressure in the decisive moments, resulting in their defeat by Australia. This was Spain’s debut loss, and they will now face Greece and Canada in their upcoming matches, with their chances of advancing not looking promising.

In this game, Alarcón played a pivotal role, demonstrating exceptional skills both on the perimeter and in the paint. Standing at 2 meters 11 centimeters tall, he displayed a high level of accuracy from beyond the arc and successfully broke through the defense multiple times. He made 6 out of 12 shots overall, 6 out of 8 from the three-point line, and 9 out of 10 free throws, accumulating a total of 27 points and 5 rebounds along with 2 steals. In the final quarter, the experienced player Luul scored 8 points consecutively right from the start, almost leading his team to a comeback victory. He finished with 17 points, but his shooting percentage was average. Willy Hernangómez contributed 14 points. Only these three players managed to score double digits, while the rest of the team performed below expectations, particularly in their shooting from outside the arc. As a result, they suffered this defeat.