The USA men’s basketball team officially clinched a spot in the quarterfinals of Olympic play today with a resounding 103-86 victory against South Sudan, with much of the rout being due to the Phoenix Suns’ dynamic duo of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
U.S. head coach Steve Kerr switched up the starting lineup once again – going with the usual suspects in Devin Booker, LeBron, James, and Steph Curry, while also inserting Jayson Tatum/Anthony Davis – presumably due to matchup reasons.
The United States got off to an 8-0 start behind some shifty facilitating from Booker, but South Sudan eventually caught up, tying the game at 12 at one point in the opening 10 minutes.
Team USA rebounded extremely well after the fact, leading 26-14 going into the second quarter.
The positive momentum continued into halftime, as the United States’ depth, shooting abilty, and stringent defense lead to a 55-36 lead at halftime.
Leading at the break!
Durant: 9 PTS, 2 REB, 2 STL
Booker: Team-high 5 AST, 1 STL📺 @USANetwork & @peacock pic.twitter.com/AHh998yEO9
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) July 31, 2024
Miami Heat star Bam Adabayo led the way with 14 points, while Durant pitched in nine of his own. Booker failed to score but pitched in 5 assists and 1 steal in his time in action.
The team lulled through the third quarter, allowing the lead to slip to as little as 12 in the frame – but eventually extended the lead and finished the 10 minutes up 73-57.
The U.S. maintained that lead over the final 10 minutes – a final frame that Booker came alive in with 8 points. Durant chipped in 14 points for the game.
Kevin Durant is so detailed with the little things in his movement patterns
I love the way he times up his catches to flow into sweep throughs like this, with a suddenness to match
No wasted movements with him pic.twitter.com/qQxRNkoSKH
— Stephen PridGeon ☯️🏁 (@StayTrueSDot3) July 31, 2024
The final game of group play for Team USA is Saturday against Puerto Rico – which is set to tip off at 8:15 AM Arizona time.
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