TEAM USA MEN'S BASKETBALL WINS GOLD AT THE TOKYO OLYMPICS | #TOKYO2020 | #TEAMUSA
United States men's basketball team defeats France to win fourth consecutive gold at Tokyo Olympics
SAITAMA, Japan - Kevin Durant has had some great days in his career, but there has never been one like this green and golden Saturday in Japan.
First, there was a new $ 198 million contract with the Brooklyn Nets. Then the pride of Seat Pleasant, Md., Extended his status as one of America's great Olympians with a masterful performance to lead the American team to their fourth straight gold, 87-82 against France.
During the Tokyo Games, Durant's greatness grew and he deployed his early energy to relieve the stress of his teammates. With confidence, experience, and a great mix of skills, there was no way Durant would lose. He scored 21 of his 29 points in the first half.
This was Durant's third time playing in a gold medal game, which only deepened his resume.
France, who had beaten the United States team both in the 2019 World Cup and two weeks ago to open the Olympics with a dominant fourth quarterback, tried again with a late kick. With 10 points behind at the start of the last quarter, they reduced it to three points on two occasions, including just 10 seconds from the end.
With Durant exhausting, there was a window where it could have been another bad ending. But this team, sometimes lacking in chemistry but never in depth, had enough to get the job done.
Jayson Tatum, who became Team USA's second goalscorer in a bench position during the tournament, came out with a handful of relief hoops, including two crucial 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as the most important of his 19 points. Damian Lillard, who struggled to impress in Tokyo, also delivered two clutch baskets to maintain the lead.
Then it was Durant who, quite rightly, finished the game on free throws with eight seconds remaining.
With a big advantage, France tried to kick the ball with the great Rudy Gobert. The Americans were determined to change pick and roll because they have all the tournaments and the French really tried to make a fatal mistake. Gobert made nine errors in the game's total, but the United States played the percentages as the shaky free-throw shooter finished just 6 of 13 from the line.
Evan Fournier, who has been a thorn in the side of the Americans in the last two losses, scored 16 points but was only 5 for 15 from the line. Jrue Holiday had another excellent defensive play, with three interceptions and one block with 11 points. Big men Bam Adebayo and Draymond Green also played superior defense.