Paris 2024 men’s basketball: Kevin Durant breaks scoring record as Team USA cruises into semi-finals with easy win over Brazil
Tuesday’s Team USA matchup with Brazil was more like a tuneup for more competitive and meaningful games. The Americans led for the final 38 minutes and 40 seconds, kept everybody sharp and healthy and also gave center Joel Embiid an opportunity to regain his confidence with a sparkling first half.
The 122-87 victory was never in doubt as Team USA, besides a lackadaisical second-quarter stretch, was efficient and crisp. While the other three quarter-final games were filled with intrigue and even an upset, Team USA has avoided any drama during this Olympic Tournament, winning each of its games by an average of 24.75 points.
Team USA is still chasing perfection with 12 of the top players in the world. The motivation is the gold medal and they promised they’ll be prepared for Thursday’s semi-final, a matchup they won’t take lightly despite the opponent being Serbia, a team they soundly defeated by 26 in Group C play.
“Every game is its own test,” forward LeBron James said. “It doesn’t matter what happened before, it’s about what goes down Thursday night. So we need to lock in on our film session tomorrow, lock in during the day on Thursday and then come out and be ready to go.”
Devin Booker scored 18 points against Team Brazil in the quarter-final
Devin Booker impresses for Team USA
Devin Booker led Team USA with 18 points, including five three-pointers, while five other players scored in double figures. Seven of the 12 players have averaged at least 9.5 points through the first four games, making preparing for Team USA difficult because of its versatility.
“That’s what our team is built on, depth.” James said. “And any night we could have anybody get it going as far as the scoring load - and ‘Book’ had it from the start all the way to the finish. Offensively, we have to continue to help each other, spread the ball out and be in a great rhythm.”
The only concern for Team USA was James’ health. In the third quarter he was hit above the eye by Brazil’s Georginho de Paula while pursuing a rebound, and he was on the floor for several moments before heading to the bench. He then went to the locker room for treatment before returning to the bench to rejoin his teammates.
“I’m alright,” he said. “I got hit with an inadvertent elbow around the eye.”
Kevin Durant set the Team USA all-time Olympic scoring record, topping Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie for that mark. It’s a testament to Durant’s longevity and scoring prowess, and the crowd at Bercy Arena offered a nice round of applause when the announcement was made.
“Records are meant to be broken, so somebody will come along and do the same,” Durant said. “We’re just focused on trying to win this gold.”
James said: “He was born to play ball and he’s simply incredible. I’m happy for him, congratulations to him, super proud of him and he has got more to go.”
This group only has two more games together beginning with Thursday’s matchup with Serbia and the quest has been for improvement on both sides. They have been making progress and the team’s unselfishness and versatility have made coach Steve Kerr’s job easier.
“There’s no real challenge with (balance) other than just reminding the team that that’s the beauty and the strength of our team is that it can be any one of these guys there,” Kerr said. “They all have to carry their franchises individually when they go back to the NBA. So we know they’re capable of carrying our team on any given day, but we don’t know who it’s going to be and that’s the strength of the team. As long as we play the right way and move the ball, somebody’s going to get hot. That’s how we feel.”
Gary Washburn is an Olympic Channel correspondent and National NBA Writer for the Boston Globe.
LeBron James says he will be fit for the semi-final despite receiving a blow to the head