U.S. teams score key victories at Tokyo Olympics
U.S. teams score key victories at Tokyo Olymp…
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The U.S. men’s basketball team won gold on Saturday, defeating France 87-82 and securing its fourth consecutive gold medal in the sport. Kevin Durant, Team USA’s all-time leading scorer, finished with 29 points and 6 rebounds.
With today’s win, Durant took home his third gold medal and Team USA gets revenge over the French squad that defeated them in the tournament’s opener. “We went through some adversity, we had some unusual circumstances with COVID and guys coming in late,” Durant said after the game. “France is a good team, they don’t quit, but we wanted them again, we wanted to play them again.”
Jayson Tatum, the 23-year-old star, also played a key role in the victory, racking up 19 points of his own, along with 7 rebounds. “This is what we came for, it was win or go home. We knew it was going to be different guys every night and we figured it out,” Tatum said in a post-game interview.
Kevin Durant on August 7, 2021. in Saitama, Japan.
Gregory Shamus / Getty
But France didn’t go without a fight. At one point in the first half, they trailed by 13 points but fought back and cut the lead to five before halftime. Rudy Gobert led France with 16 points and 8 rebounds. The Utah Jazz center and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year was a force in the paint on Saturday, and Evan Fournier, who torched Team USA in the opener, scored 16 points.