An exciting week came to a close in Valencia, Spain on Sunday, when six teams competed in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT), but only one advanced to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, as host nation Spain narrowly defeated the Bahamas in what was quickly turned into a classic match.
The hosts, led by Santi Aldama and Willy Hernangomez, battled the Bahamian team, led by Eric Gordon, Buddy Hield and Deandre Ayton, throughout the game, with the Spanish team coming out victorious 86-78.
Ayton did his best to lead the Bahamas to their first Olympic Games. The Blazers center finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds and two assists on 8-of-14 shooting in 36 minutes to cap a strong week of FIBA qualifiers. Hield, a Bahamian shooter who is Stephen Curry's new teammate on the Warriors, led the team with 19 points. Recently signed 76ers player Gordon added 15 points.
But Spain had too many answers for the Bahamas, and home-court advantage clearly helped. The visitors couldn't recover from a 25-17 second-quarter run by Spain, and it didn't help that Spain made 23 of 25 free throws.
The four winners of this week's OQT — Spain, Puerto Rico, Greece and Brazil — will join the United States, Canada and six other teams that have already qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The other OQTs were held in Puerto Rico, Greece and Latvia.
No one doubted Spain's ability to reach the final and qualify for the Olympics. Most sportsbooks had Spain as a 16.5-point favorite to beat Finland in Saturday's semifinal and had long money-line odds against the Bahamas.
Watch: Courtside at the Olympic Qualification Tournament 1891
Where to watch the Spain vs. Bahamas FIBA Olympic Qualifier match
- Highlights and Recorded Streams: Watch Courtside 1891 on DAZN
International basketball fans who missed the game can watch the Greece vs. Croatia match on Courtside 1891, FIBA Basketball's exclusive streaming platform.
How much does Courtside 1891 cost?
Courtside 1891 offers two subscriptions:
- Courtside 1891 Plus: A free subscription that provides access to highlights and curated feeds. Users must create a free account before availing the free subscription.
- Courtside 1891 Max: A paid subscription that provides access to live game streams and full game replays. The subscription costs $29.99 (USD).
How can I watch “Courtside 1891”?
“Courtside 1891” will be available to watch on DAZN, the global distributor of “Courtside 1891.” The partnership allows fans to watch “Courtside 1891” exclusively on DAZN.
Fans can also stream Courtside 1891 through the app, which is available on the app store for both Apple and Android users.
Supported device and browser types include:
- chromium: Android Mobile, Windows
- Safari: iOS Mobile, Mac, Tablet
- Firefox: Windows, Mac
- corner: Windows
- Samsung Internet: Android Mobile
- Android webview: Android Mobile
Spain's FIBA Olympic Qualifier squad
| no. | player | position |
| 2 | Lorenzo Brown | guard |
| Four | Jaime Pradilla | center |
| Five | Rudy Fernandez | forward |
| 6 | Xavi Lopez Arostegui | forward |
| 7 | Santi Aldama | forward |
| 8 | Dario Brizuela | guard |
| 9 | Alberto Diaz | guard |
| Ten | Juancho Hernangomez | forward |
| 14 | Willy Hernangomez | forward |
| 16 | Usman Garba | forward |
| twenty three | Sergio Llull | guard |
| twenty four | Juan Nunez | guard |
Spain may not have the experience they once had, but they still have plenty of firepower from top to bottom, led by Aldama, who entered the weekend averaging 20.5 points while shooting over 60 percent from the field.
The hosts play tough, push the tempo and their length and strength make them extremely capable of taking advantage of second chances, so even though they may not be in their usual prime, Spain should be a formidable opponent at the 2024 Olympics.
