Connect with us
Burn+

2024 Paris Olympics

Team USA cruises to 122-87 victory over Brazil to advance to Olympic semifinals

© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The United States men’s basketball team is on its way to the semifinals after dominating Brazil with a 122-87 victory.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker led the scoring category for the U.S. with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting (5-of-7 from 3), three rebounds and three assists in only 15 minutes, the third-fewest on the team. Anthony Edwards, as he has done all tournament, was right behind Booker with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and five rebounds off the bench.

Kevin Durant, who continued to come off the bench, became the all-time leading scorer in USA Olympic basketball history in the win, surpassing Lisa Leslie. The Suns superstar finished with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, four rebounds and three assists.

Booker started his fourth straight game and was alongside Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, LeBron James and Joel Embiid in the starting lineup that coach Steve Kerr has used the most this summer. Durant and Edwards led the bench unit of Derrick White, Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, as all 12 players on the roster played and scored.

James had a near double-double with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, nine assists and three rebounds, but was injured in the third quarter and did not return after getting hit in the face. Embiid only played in the first half, but still locked in 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting (3-for-3 from 3) and seven rebounds, while Davis added 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Holiday and Adebayo both had nine points, as the United States shot 45-for-78 (58%) overall and 15-for-31 (48%) from 3. The Americans also had 31 assists and won the rebounding battle 46-34.

Brazil entered the game shooting a tournament-best 45.3% from 3, but the U.S. held them to 32% shooting from 3 (12-for-37) and 42% from the floor (32-for-77). Bruno Caboclo had a game-high 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting and six rebounds, his second-straight outing with 30 or more points for Brazil.

Brazil is now eliminated from the tournament, while Team USA will next play Serbia in the semifinals after the Serbians beat Australia in a nail-biter in overtime earlier today.

Game Flow

All five of the U.S. starters got in the scoring category less than four minutes into the game, and the Americans started an incredible 8-for-10 from the field to open a 18-8 advantage with five minutes left in the first. Booker led the way with nine points, as the U.S. began 4-for-4 from 3 and led 27-14 before the bench checked in with three minutes to go in the quarter. Team USA was up 33-21 heading into the second and had 12 assists on 13 made shots.

The U.S. opened up the second quarter with a 7-0 run before Brazil scored their first points with just under six minutes remaining in the quarter on a dunk. This began a 10-0 run for Brazil before Tatum made two free throws to make it 42-31 for the Americans. The U.S. once again found their groove after this, taking a 63-36 lead into the break after closing on a 15-0 run, as all 11 players who saw the court scored. Embiid had a game-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting (3-for-3 from 3) and seven rebounds, while James was also in double-figures with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting and recorded eight of USA’s 19 assists. The U.S. shot 23-for-39 (59%) overall and 6-for-12 (50%) from 3, while Brazil was 13-for-38 (34%) from the field and 5-for-17 (29%) from 3.

Brazil looked much better to start the second half, but the U.S. lead was too much to overcome. Brazil did win the third quarter 35-31, as the U.S. still led 94-71 and Booker had a team-high 18 points. One thing that notably happened in the third period was that James took a shot to the face and headed back to the locker room, but returned to the bench near the end of the game.

The Americans won the fourth quarter 28-16, as Edwards played the closer role once again to seal the victory.

Next Up

Team USA will next take on Serbia for the third time on Thursday (Aug. 8) at 12 p.m. MST in the semifinals. The U.S. has already beaten Serbia twice in blowout fashion this summer, once in group play and once in an exhibition. Whoever wins this game will advance to the gold medal game, while the loser will play in the bronze medal game, both of which are on Aug. 10.

Kevin Durant makes Team USA history once again

*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*

Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau

Related Topics

Burn City Radio

More in 2024 Paris Olympics