Puerto Rico finished a remarkable week before a raucous home crowd at the San Juan FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT). It won handily over Lithuania to punch its ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Tremont Waters was superb, but it was tournament MVP Jose Alvarado who made the biggest difference. The New Orleans Pelicans guard dominated all week and proved too much for Domantas Sabonis and Lithuania. Puerto Rico won 79-68, bringing the island its first Olympic berth since 2004.
Eight hoops teams had already qualified for the Paris games, most notably the United States and Canada. The four winners of this week's OQTs — Puerto Rico, Brazil, Greece, and Spain — will join those other eight teams in the Olympic basketball tournament.
Nobody much doubted the Puerto Ricans' ability to advance to the Final and win the Olympic berth. They were listed on most sportsbooks as short as -1200 to beat Mexico on Saturday, and everyone knew home-court advantage would play a part against a Lithuania squad that sorely missed recent NBA free-agent Jonas Valanciunas.
WATCH: Olympic Qualifying Tournaments on Courtside 1891
Where to watch Puerto Rico vs. Lithuania FIBA Olympic Qualifying game
- Highlights and recorded stream: Courtside 1891 on DAZN
International hoops fans who missed the game can go back and watch Puerto Rico vs. Lithuania on Courtside 1891, the exclusive streaming platform for FIBA basketball.
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Puerto Rico roster for FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament & Olympics
| No. | Player | Position |
| 0 | Isaiah Pineiro | Power Forward |
| 1 | George Conditt IV | Forward |
| 3 | Jordan Howard | Point Guard |
| 9 | Davon Reed | Shooting Guard |
| 10 | Jose Alvarado | Point Guard |
| 11 | Stephen Thompson Jr. | Guard |
| 12 | Aleem Ford | Forward |
| 24 | Gian Clavell | Guard |
| 28 | Ismael Romero | Center |
| 32 | Christopher Ortiz | Power Forward |
| 41 | Arnaldo Toro | Power Forward |
| 51 | Tremont Waters | Point Guard |
Puerto Rico enjoyed convincing wins over Italy, Bahrain, Mexico, and Lithuania to get to this point. The home squad got plenty of support from the raucous San Juan crowd, which seemed to help fuel the strong backcourt duo of Jose Alvarado and Tremont Waters all week.
The Puerto Rican team has handles, hops, and a heck of a fan base. What it lacks at the center position it more than makes up for with athleticism and tenacity. Don't expect this team to take its foot off the gas in the Olympics.