SportsTeam USA Takes Basketball Gold, Beats France 87-82

Team USA Takes Basketball Gold, Beats France 87-82

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August 07, (THEWILL) – After a poor start that was growing a group of doubters about not just their ability to match the high marks expected of their quality but also if they had the technical bench to help them win a medal at the Olympics, Team USA secured the basketball gold medal on Saturday at the Tokyo Olympics with an 87-82 victory over France.

The victory was triple vengeance for the USA as they not only demonstrated that it was poor foresight to doubt their fight to get their fourth straight gold medal, they also overcame the French team that beat them 83-76 in the opening round of their Group A and knocked them out of the 2019 FIBA World Cup quarter-finals 89-79 in Dongguan, China.

The opening loss to this same squad got many critics talking about an end of the US dominance in the sport. In their pre-Olympics exhibition matches in Las Vegas, as THEWILL reported, they had lost their first two of three games to D’Tigers of Nigeria, who proudly ended their unbeaten run, and to the Boomers of Australia, whom they defeated in the semi-finals fixture to qualify for the final.

Glo

But coming against France again, they must have remembered how in a largely empty arena near Tokyo on Sunday night, France had beaten them in that group match after the quarter-final in China to deal them an even bigger blow and got so many talking about the rest of the world is fast catching up on the US in basketball.

It was talk like that that got America’s best player of the competition Kevin Durant fired up. The 32-year-old scored 29 points to lift the US over France to prevent a third straight loss and win the gold. As he had done for the USA in previous Olympics, Durant was the arrowhead of the American triumph.

The Brooklyn Nets power forward scored 21 first-half points to give Team USA a 44-39 edge. He and Jayson Tatum combined for 32 points by halftime, while the rest of Team USA had just 11. Struggles from behind the three-point line were the primary culprit for the rest not getting more points.

But the French did not let up easily. They hung with the United States thanks to 12 free throws on 19 attempts, but 10 first-half turnovers hindered their offense. And, the United States took over in the third quarter, opening up a 71-57 lead after a Tatum fast-break bucket for the Americans.

Team USA’s progress was matched by France’s resilience and fightback. A pair of fast-break buckets from an Evan Fournier fast-three-pointer and a Frank Ntilikina layup sliced Team USA’s edge to 85-80 before Nando de Colo free throws made it a one-possession game.

Yet again, Durant rose up to close the door on France and ensure that it was the Americans who were on the gold podium to pay for the losses to France in the opening match and at the quarter-finals stage in 2019.

Over six games, Durant played the tournament of his life, averaging 20.3 points and shooting 52.9 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three and 90.5 percent from the line.

It was the kind of display that took him past compatriot Carmelo Anthony for the most total points by an American at the Olympics, even with one fewer Olympic experience to his name in general.

About the Author

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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