Olympics men’s basketball results: Team USA fell behind briefly, but roared back on Tuesday to blow out Argentina in the quarterfinals from Rio 2016
Considering how Team USA had struggled in their three previous outings coming into the Rio Olympics men’s basketball quarterfinals, you would’ve thought they’d need a hot start to get their momentum going. Immediately following the opening tip against Argentina on Wednesday, though, the Americans didn’t have any of the momentum at all.
Behind Manu Ginobili and Facundo Campozzo playing big early, the Argentinian squad jumped out to an early 10-point lead. Just as everyone was about to vigorously and repeatedly press the panic button for Team USA, though, the real Kevin Durant finally showed up. Durant had been a quiet and almost middling contributor in the preliminary round, but that was no longer the case. He was filling it up from all over the floor, facilitating, and crashing the boards.
Joined by Paul George in helping to turn things around, the United States turned what was a 10-point deficit into a 16-point lead going into halftime. For the first time in a week, they were cohesive, playing with a fire, and looking as dominant as a gold medal favorite should.
George was a force on the defensive end while he, KD, and DeMarcus Cousins comprised a lethal offensive attack. At the end of the third quarter, Team USA had pushed the lead to a massive 26 points. From that point, they were just riding the wake into the shore—or the semifinals rather. As the final buzzer sounded, it was 105-78 in favor of the Americans.
Even with their two opening blowouts in mind, this was the most impressive showing from the United States to date at Rio 2016. If Durant can play with this energy and the team as a whole can defend in this manner, Team USA is going to be near impossible to beat.
Three Stars
Kevin Durant, Team USA – 27 points, seven rebounds, six assists, one steal
Paul George, Team USA – 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals, three blocks
Facundo Campozzo, Argentina – 13 points, nine assists, three rebounds, four steals
Next Game
Argentina is obviously eliminated from the competition with the loss. Team USA moves on to the semifinals where a titanic clash against Spain will be awaiting them.