Brazil’s Gui Santos Qualifies for Olympics While Bahamas’ Buddy Hield Falls Short – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

Santos, who played 27 minutes as a substitute for Brazil, had 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in a blowout win over host Latvia, led by NBA veteran Davis Bertans. During the Olympic qualifiers, the 2022 second-round pick Santos averaged 7.3 points per game on 48 percent shooting from the field.

Later this month, Brazil will face Japan, Germany and France in Group B in Paris, with Santos avoiding friendly confrontations with teammate Steph Curry and coach Steve Kerr against Team USA, at least for the group stage of the tournament.

Meanwhile, a few other members of the Warriors organization weren’t faring as well.

The Bahamas, with new Warriors signing Buddy Hield and assistant coach Chris DeMarco, also entered Sunday’s Olympics just one win away. But DeMarco, who serves as head coach of the Bahamas, could not get his team past Spain, losing 86-78 in another final qualifying match in Valencia.

Just a day after officially signing with the Warriors, Hield struggled primarily on the floor. Though he led the Bahamas with 19 points, the long-range specialist struggled from distance, connecting on just 2 of 10 attempts from behind the arc. He added six rebounds but also lost the ball four times.

Former Warriors forward Usman Garuba, who spent the 2023-24 NBA season with Golden State, had a productive game off the bench for Spain, collecting 10 points on 3 of 5 shooting to go along with five rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Garuba is now an unrestricted free agent after the Warriors declined his qualifying offer last month, but perhaps his performance against DeMarco will keep him on Golden State’s radar.

The Olympic group stage begins on July 27 when Spain takes on Australia, and Brazil plays France later that day. Curry, Kerr and Team USA play their opening match on July 28 against Serbia.

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