The United States Men’s Basketball team continues to roll towards another Olympic medal after blowing out a lackluster Brazil squad 122-87 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. With this win the US now will be playing for a medal for the 20th time in 20 Olympic appearances. This steak is eye popping in and of itself but the way the US showed up today was the real eye popper. The near 40 year old LeBron James continues to be the engine of the high octane offense as he finished with 12 points and nine assists on 5-6 shooting from the field in a game that was dictated by the United States’ physicality and athleticism. Phoenix Suns’ star guard Devin Booker led in scoring, 18 points on 6-9 shooting from the field and 5-7 from beyond the arc while the other star of the Suns, Kevin Durant put in 11 points on 4-8 shooting off of the bench. With 3:06 left in the third quarter, Kevin Durant knocked in the basket that would surpass Lisa Leslie to become the all-time leading scorer for the USA in Olympic competition. Devin Booker in the post game called Durant “Mr. America” and this nickname can be set in stone with this huge milestone, especially if the US wins gold in Paris, giving Durant a record fourth career Olympic gold medal.
The greatest scorer in U.S. Olympic basketball history.
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 6, 2024
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The beauty of this team is the versatility they possess that is curated from their depth at every position. Joel Embiid finally had a quality game offensively after struggling in the group stage, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds while Anthony Davis came off the bench and provided another strong 13 points and eight rebounds in a game that was dominated by lobs and poster dunks from Davis as well as a beautifully executed inbound lob to Jayson Tatum. Brazil had somewhat of a chance in the second quarter, down eight, but could not withstand the continual knockout punches that the red, white, and blue continued to deliver throughout the contest. It is tough to beat the best basketball players on the globe when they shoot 57.7% from the field and 48.4% from three while out rebounding you 46 to 34 while snatching nine steals and forcing 15 total turnovers. Brazil should hold their heads high but the USA now needs to lock back in for a group stage rematch in the semifinals with Nikola Jokic and Serbia. The US beat Serbia 110-84 but Jokic showed he is still one of if not the best basketball player in the world after beating Australia in epic comeback fashion, beating the Aussie’s 95-90 in overtime after being down 24 points in the second quarter. Jokic finished with an impressive statline, 21 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, and four steals in a game that was dominated by the reigning NBA MVP and former champion. Jokic will need another masterclass performance if Serbia wants any chance of beating the freight train that is the United States. This semifinal matchup takes place Thursday August 8th at 3 PM EST.
The perfect inbound play doesn’t exi-
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 6, 2024
📺 USA Network + Peacock
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