A hot Evan Fournier is a powerful force for France, Orlando Magic

France was holding on for dear life as Germany charged back from a 20-point deficit. Evan Fournier shut that down with a stellar game and some clutch shots.

France scored the games first 14 points. Germany was 1 for 20 at one point in the game. It should have been an easy victory for France.

Nothing is ever easy in a tournament of such importance. The stakes are high in these games and Germany, knowing that it has to fight with France to win their group and bring this new generation to the next round of the FIBA World Cup, was not going away quietly.

Even after leading by as much as 24 points in the third quarter, Germany cut into the lead. Dennis Schroder made it a three-point game with two minutes left. France could not put them away.

These are the moments Evan Fournier loves. These are the moments where Evan Fournier steps up.

He fed a searching bounce pass from the perimeter to a rolling Rudy Gobert for an and-1 finish and extend the lead back to six points. After Germany answered with a basket to cut the lead to four, Fournier had his moment.

With about 40 seconds to play, Evan Fournier received the ball and ran a pick and roll with Rudy Gobert before hitting a Dirk Nowitzki-style step back off one leg to bury Germany in a 78-74 win in the opening game of the FIBA World Cup for both teams.

Fournier was dazzling with a game-high 26 points on 8-for-16 shooting. He hit three 3-pointers and added 10 rebounds, helping France on the boards with Rudy Gobert often pulled to the 3-point line to defend Germany’s Robin Benzing (eight points, 2-for-3 3-point shooting) or Johannes Voigtmann (25 points, 5-for-7 3-point shooting).

Fournier’s game came in spurts. He struggled early on as he looked for his footing. But as Orlando Magic fans know, when he gets himself going, he can make a lot of tough shots. There is very few things more dangerous than a confident Fournier with his legs beneath him and space to shoot.

That was the case throughout the fourth quarter. He had several possessions when he split double teams and found his way into the paint with space to get his jumper off. That was when he was deadly.

And as he builds confidence he can start hitting the tougher shots like that one-legged fadeaway. But even that came under control, in rhythm and with his legs beneath him.

It was similar to another shot he had in the fourth quarter when he fumbled the ball, collected it and found the balance and a retreating defense to hit a 3-pointer. Fournier on balance is dangerous and can put up a lot of points in a hurry.

France was not running the offense for Fournier for much of the game — they were feeding Rudy Gobert in the post a lot or seeking the hot hand of Amath M’Baye (21 points, 4-for-6 shooting on threes). But the ball eventually found Fournier.

After a terrible shooting season and an up-and-down run through the pre-tournament friendlies, watching Fournier play aggressively and confidently was certainly a nice present. He was someone the defense had to account for at all times. And he made them pay when he did have the ball in his hands.

He generally made the right play. He tallied three assists and kept the ball moving. He had a few potential assists taken away from misses and fouls near the basket, especially working with Gobert. France will surely go to that duo plenty as the tournament persists.

That does not mean Fournier did not fall into his bad habits. Some of his early shots were part of the poor shot selection Magic fans often criticize him for. He was off balance and a bit wild trying to attack the basket rather than playing at a composed tempo.

He had four turnovers on some aggressive passing too. Fournier’s problem is often his ambition.

Early on it did not seem like it would matter with France taking the early lead. Germany’s 3-point shooting kept making it tight and required France to pay attention and execute.

That is where the team turned to Fournier and found him more composed and ready for the moment.

What has always been abundantly clear is that a poised and balanced Fournier is a dangerous weapon. To open up this World Cup, France used it to its fullest extent and picked up a crucial victory in the process.

Elsewhere in FIBA Action

Nikola Vucevic scored 12 points and grabbed three rebounds in Montenegro’s opening game, an 85-60 loss to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece.

This game was never close and Nikola Vucevic was one of the few consistent offensive options, even shooting 6 for 14 from the field. Vucevic struggled to get his rhythm and was never really put in good positions to score. He did not work much of his post-game, and when he did, he gave up good post position.

Defensively, Vucevic was active despite grabbing only three rebounds. He had two steals and did a good job sliding over to protect the basket. He was a solid player for a Montenegro team with inconsistent guard play.

Of course, the highlight of the game was Antetokounmpo sliding over and blocking a Vucevic dunk attempt. That should describe the differences in class between these two teams.

Meanwhile, Khem Birch scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds for Canada in their tournament-opening 108-92 loss to Australia. Khem Birch added two blocks, but Canada gave up 58.2 percent shooting and 11-for-27 shooting from beyond the arc to the Boomers in the defeat.

The United States easily defeated the Czech Republic 88-67 in their opening game.