Andrew Nicholson playing big minutes for Team Canada

Opportunity is everything to Canada’s men’s basketball team.

And for Andrew Nicholson, that point couldn’t be more true after two contests at the Pan American Games.

Often buried on the bench during his three seasons with the Orlando Magic, the versatile forward is showcasing all the tools that made him the 19th pick in the 2012 draft. Nicholson led Canada (2-0) with 24 points and 12 rebounds on Wednesday in an 88-83 come-from-behind victory over Argentina (0-2) at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

While a lot of the chatter early in the game was about hometown boy Anthony Bennett, who finished the night perfect from the field (6-for-6) with 17 points, and Kitchener’s Jamal Murray, who had 20 points of his own, it was the steady contributions of Nicholson that helped keep Canada within striking distance after trailing 59-46 midway through the third quarter.

“We thought Andy would have an advantage in the post, we didn’t do a very good job,” said head coach Jay Triano about the first-half struggles of getting easy looks inside. “We finally were able to swing the ball and set the tide, punch it inside and get him some looks.

“He’s a good low post scorer.”