The France Men's National Basketball Team has always been in the running for the gold medal in the previous FIBA World Cups, having finished third in 2014 and 2019. But it seems like their time under the spotlight is coming to a close, with the new blood of Canada ready to seize their place as an international powerhouse, especially after the drubbing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company dealt their French opponents in their opening game of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

On Friday morning, Gilgeous-Alexander and Canada got whatever what they wanted against a France team that simply could not buy a bucket, especially towards the end of the game. Led by the Oklahoma City Thunder star's 27 points on 9-19 shooting from the field, Canada thrashed France, 95-65, to hand Les Bleus a loss of a magnitude they haven't witnessed in six decades.

According to Keerthika Uthayakumar of TSN Sports, Team France hasn't experienced a FIBA World Cup loss of over 30 points or more since 1963. 60 years ago, Team France lost by 36 points against a very strong Yugoslavia team (99-63).

The second half was simply a seemingly unending nightmare for the Frenchmen, as it felt like they couldn't put the ball through the hoop even if it was a Little Tikes rim that was in front of them.

Led by a terrifying perimeter defensive duo of Dillon Brooks and Luguentz Dort, Canada gave France no room to breathe on the perimeter, taking away every viable option they had on offense. Les Bleus scored just 25 points in the second half as Canada ran away to a huge lead they wouldn't relinquish. Evan Fournier simply could not muster enough scoring on his own, finishing with 21 points on 8-19 shooting as France's only viable source of shot-creation on the night.

It was a tale of blowouts during the opening day for Group H of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. In addition to Canada's thorough destruction of France, Latvia also dispatched of Lebanon with ease, taking home a 109-70 win. This, in turn, will set up a crucial clash between Canada and Latvia on Sunday morning for Group H supremacy, while Les Bleus will want to return to winning ways with a golden opportunity in front of them against Lebanon.