4 Heroes and 3 Zeroes from Team Canada's hard-fought Olympic win over Spain

You can't start any better than 3-0.

Team Canada pulled off its third consecutive victory to start the 2024 Paris Sumer Olympic Games, defeating world No. 2 Spain 88-85 in a mirror image of their victory over Spain last year in the World Cup. They won the "Group of Death" and are in position to make a deep run in the Olympic tournament.

Although Canada broke out to an 11-point lead at halftime, Spain fought back and refused to go away, ultimately closing the game to within one score late in the fourth. It was a 2-point game, 82-80, when RJ Barrett hit a massive 3-pointer to expand the margin to 5 and give them the breathing room that they needed.

The Spaniards desperately needed a win in order to move on in the tournament; with the loss, they fell to fourth-place in the group and are eliminated.

Who stood out for Team Canada? Let's look at the heroes and zeroes from a hard-fought victory.

Hero: Andrew Nembhard

It's one fantastic summer for Andrew Nembhard, who signed a new contract extension with the Indiana Pacers and now is playing a crucial role for Team Canada. He was the only player on Canada's bench with a pulse, and no one on Spain had an answer for him.

Nembhard scored 18 points, more than the rest of Canada's bench combined, He was 8-for-10 from the field and 2-for-3 from 3-point range, looking comfortable with the ball in his hands but also racing to the rim when he didn't. Add in two assists and a steal, and Nembhard was by far the best reserve for Team Canada on Friday. When Spain was cutting into the lead late in the third quarter and early in the fourt, Nembhard kept them at bay with multiple drives to the rim, then late in the game was again hitting shots. He was phenomenal on Friday and his role should only increase moving forward.