Group USA’s Bam Adebayo, proper, dunks as Brazil’s Gui Santos defends throughout a males’s basketball sport on the Paris Olympics 2024, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photograph/Michael Conroy)
PARIS — There was a second the place Brazil might need thought it had an opportunity. It trailed the Group USA by solely eight halfway by means of the second quarter. An enormous deficit had changed into one thing moderately manageable.
The second was short-lived.
A 21-2 run turned issues into their predictable blowout state and for the twentieth time in 20 Olympic appearances, Group USA will play for a medal. Devin Booker led a balanced entrance with 18 factors and the Individuals had little hassle with Brazil within the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics, profitable 122-87 on Tuesday night time.
The U.S. (4-0) strikes on to face Serbia (3-1) in Thursday’s semifinals, whereas Germany (4-0) takes on France (3-1) within the different semifinal. Winners of these video games will play Saturday night time for the gold medal; Thursday’s losers will play Saturday morning for the bronze medal.
SCHEDULE: Males’s basketball semifinals at Paris Olympics 2024
If there was one subject, it was this: LeBron James left within the third quarter after catching an elbow round his left eye, struck by Brazil’s Georginho de Paula whereas going for a rebound. James went down, ultimately pressed a towel over the attention and left for the locker room space later within the third.
By then, the sport was in hand. That 21-2 run over the ultimate 3:56 of the primary half eradicated no matter doubt there might need been — let’s be sincere, there wasn’t a lot, if any — and Group USA turned that eight-point lead right into a 63-36 runaway going into the ultimate 20 minutes.
Group USA’s LeBron James stands on the bench throughout a males’s basketball sport towards Brazil on the Paris Olympics 2024, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photograph/Michael Conroy)
Bruno Caboclo was the star for Brazil, main all scorers with 30 factors.
Anthony Edwards scored 17 factors, whereas Joel Embiid — booed once more in France, in fact — had 14 factors and 7 rebounds in 12 first-half minutes for the Individuals. Anthony Davis completed with 13 factors and eight rebounds for the U.S. James had 12 factors and 9 assists.
READ: Group USA steps up quest for fifth straight Olympic gold
Kevin Durant scored 11 factors and handed Lisa Leslie because the U.S. Olympic profession scoring chief, males’s or girls’s. Leslie had 488 factors in her 4 Olympic appearances, all of which ended with gold medals. Durant is making an attempt to go 4 for 4 on the gold entrance as properly; he’s two wins away from getting that carried out.
Enjoying in Paris for the primary time throughout these Video games, the group was smaller — the sector used for the three video games within the group stage is almost twice as large because the one getting used for the knockout stage — however given the stakes, the turnout definitely appeared extra star-studded.
Retired U.S. Olympic basketball star Carmelo Anthony and his son, Kiyan, have been there, seated subsequent to Pau Gasol in VIP spots close to the court docket. Group USA girls’s star A’ja Wilson had a spot subsequent to Snoop Dogg, who has turn out to be the unofficial ambassador of all issues Group USA at these Olympics.
They got here for a present. They bought one. James led the end-of-half surge, and that was principally the sport.
“Bron simply on the market throwing dimes,” UConn girls’s star Paige Bueckers provided on X, the platform previously often known as Twitter, and she or he wasn’t incorrect. He was 4 for 4 within the half from the ground, 2 for two from the road, a tidy 10 factors and eight assists.
LeBron walked again to the bench with about three minutes left within the sport, after being tended to following that shot to the face.
And the group in Paris roared.
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Possibly it was as a result of James was high quality. It might need been as a result of on the identical second, French Olympic swimming star Leon Marchand — a winner of 4 gold medals at these Paris Video games — was being proven on the scoreboard as properly.
Comply with Inquirer Sports activities’ particular protection of the Paris Olympics 2024.