De Colo shines again, Parker struggles in loss to Australia

May 31, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) and shooting guard Stephen Jackson (3) speak during a timeout during the second half in game three of the Western Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE

While France has a dearth of NBA talent they’ve suffered some costly injuries — most notably to Joakim Noah and Tony Parker — that have stunted their progress in preparation for the Olympics.

Nando De Colo, though, has compensated for their absence and turned in another great performance in France’s loss, 67-69, to Australia. De Colo led the Bleus with 17 points and 7-11 from the line.

Parker, however, turned in a poor performance. He scored six points while missing seven of his nine attempts. Boris Diaw also played poorly, finishing with three points.

While his teammates severely underperfored De Colo, along with Nicolas Batum, nearly orchestrated a 16-point comeback in the fourth quarter. De Colo knotted up the score at 67 with 1:04 to play with a 3-pointer. But, in the end, it wasn’t enough.

Patty Mills poured in 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting and he received ample support unlike De Colo. Joe Ingles and Aron Bayles both scored in double-figures.

The exhibition ended fittingly when Parker, still recovering from his eye injury, clanked a 3-pointer that would’ve won the game.

But in the grand scheme of things it’s a pretty good sign to see De Colo playing so well as of late.

Dribble dans le dos Nando De Colo…

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