Scoreboard
USA 97, AUS 78
What went down
In an alternate universe, we would be celebrating Patty Mills and Dante Exum as Olympian heroes. Two names that will forever go down in history as the duo who took down the basketball juggernaut that is Team USA.
But in this universe, Olympic men’s basketball belongs to Team USA, still. Who we’re celebrating is Olympic Kevin Durant, a better, more unguardable, and more unstoppable version of Brooklyn Kevin Durant—as if that was possible.
Down 15 against Australia, KD showed that it was. He led a USA run that put them ahead by 19 points after the third quarter. He hit jumper after jumper, proving once again why he’s the most talented player on the tournament’s most talented team.
In the first few minutes of the game up to the second quarter, that talent seemed to have disappeared. Team USA could not hit a 3, missing their first 10 tries.
Then it seemed like Team USA couldn’t miss.
Devin Booker played the perfect sidekick to Durant (imagine that), finishing with 20 points. KD scored a total of 23 points.
Australia still has a chance at a bronze medal and the Boomers will still be talked about as Olympian heroes in their own right. That speaks volumes about how dangerously close they were to dethroning Team USA, and also about how any sign of lackluster performance from the Americans is groundbreaking.
Big-time baller
Kevin Durant carried Team USA when they needed him the most.
They just couldn’t buy a basket to start the game, and Australia took advantage. But as we’ve been accustomed to many times in his career, when KD is hot, he is scorching hot. There’s no in-between.
Australia, unfortunately, was at the receiving end of another epic KD show.
Three straight games scoring 23+
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 5, 2021
The first 🇺🇸 #USABMNT athlete to pass the 400 point mark in the Olympics
🙌 @KDTrey5 🙌 pic.twitter.com/S6Q4PPri8y
Did you see that?
You know Team USA is on a hot streak when the chef himself gets on Twitter and compliments the cooking:
Haha them boys out there cooking…🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) August 5, 2021
