Team USA needed a victory to guarantee a spot in the Knockout Stage and they weren’t going to mess around with their medal hopes.
Czech Republic came out of the gate red-hot, but the United States countered quickly to get things back on track. Behind a masterful performance from Kevin Durant and a second-half explosion from Jayson Tatum, Team USA will advance out of the Group Stage with the opportunity to keep their four consecutive Gold medal streak alive.
For more on this commanding win, we have you covered with some takes below.
Kevin Durant: Team USA’s all-time leading scorer
Durant entered this contest six points shy of Carmelo Anthony’s all-time United States Olympic scoring record, and the 3-point bucket that surpassed that milestone was also the moment that the prolific scorer caught fire to allow Team USA to pull away.
Durant knocked down a 3-ball midway through the second quarter to become Team USA’s all-time leading scorer and never looked back, going off for 23 points on a super efficient 8-for-11 shooting from the field and 4-for-7 shooting from 3.
It wasn’t just his scoring, either. Durant dominated in all facets of the game, leading the United States with a team-high eight rebounds and six assists. Czech Republic had absolutely no answer for KD, who set the tone for his country in a must-win game.
Durant now has 354 total points for his career in a Team USA jersey at the Olympics. In pursuit of his fourth Gold medal (2008, 2012, 2016), he is making his…
