The USA Basketball Men’s National Team defeated Puerto Rico 104-83 on Saturday to finish off the group stage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, securing the top overall seed heading into the knockout portion of the games.
Although Team USA showed flaws during exhibition games leading into Olympic play (needing heroics from forward Lebron James in multiple games), the team went undefeated and showed dominance through the first three games in Paris.
Team USA struggled to start the game. Puerto Rice scored at will throughout the first quarter, taking a 29-25 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
However, the Americans quickly bounced back with a 20-4 scoring run in the second quarter, leading Puerto Rico 64-45 as the teams entered the locker room after the first half.
The second half of the game continued, with the Americans never again falling behind. They extended their lead to as large as 29 points before walking away with yet another win.
Head coach Steve Kerr said giving up 29 points in just one quarter is “not ideal,” but the team began increasing its effort on both sides of the court until the “defense kicked in” to help carry them to victory.
“We kind of have a goal to keep teams to 20 points a quarter, and they blew right through that. I think our talent took over in the second quarter, and we started to wear them down and our defense kicked in and we had a great quarter, which opened up the game,” he said, per USAB.com.
The U.S. was led in this game by guard Anthony Edwards, who came off the bench to put together 26 points, with three rebounds, and three assists while shooting 11-15 from the field in only 17 minutes on the court.
Kerr said after the game that the Olympics have been a “great experience” for young players such as Edwards, explaining how older players such as forward Kevin Durant can provide insight about how to improve at the game.
“He loves Kevin. Kevin is kind of his idol, and he’s learning from him. We’re trying to help him take another step. You saw tonight the talent is overwhelming, and as he continues to learn how to use it and be efficient in his play, he will be unguardable,” said Kerr, according to USAB.com.
The Americans will now enter the knockout stage of the Olympics as the top overall seed due to their 3-0 record and large point differential. Canada in Group A and Germany in Group B are the only remaining undefeated teams.
While it is currently unclear who the Americans will face in the knockout stage, Team USA remains the heavy favorite to win the gold medal for men’s basketball because of the plethora of NBA talent on the roster.
The Canadian, French, and German national teams are each expected to put up solid fights against Team USA, as all three teams have experience in international play and NBA-level talent to compete.
Matchups for the knockout stage of the Olympics will begin on August 6. Multiple rounds will follow before the gold medal match on August 10.
