Durant was the top scorer for the USA squad with 30 points overall, but 24 of them coming in the first half, nearly half the team’s total at the break. Team USA is now 138-5 all-time in Olympic play and has not lost since 2004. Great Britain finished third in the overall count with 67, but the nation was second when it came to golds with 27. Nemanja Nedovic had 14 points to pace Serbia. By halftime, the US had extended their lead to 23 points.
Advertisement
The US were imperfectly ideal, at least compared with the high bar set by previous squads since the Dream Team in 1992.
Gold medallists USA’s guard Kyle Lowry (L), USA’s guard Kevin Durant (C) and USA’s centre DeAndre Jordan joke as they stand on the podium after the final of the Men’s basketball competition at the Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro on August 21, 2016 during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
After the game, Anthony told NBC’s Rosalyn Gold-Onwude that the Rio tournament would be his last. I knew [a backlash] was coming. I committed to something … I’ve seen the worst and I’ve seen the best and I stuck with it – we stuck with it.
The 27-year-old superstar entered the 2016 Summer Olympics having to defend himself after leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to sign with the Golden State Warriors this offseason. DeMarcus Cousins added 13 points and 15 rebounds in 17 minutes of action, while Klay Thompson chipped in 12 points.
Afterwards, the dynamic scoring forward wouldn’t commit to playing for the United States in 2020 when the Olympic Games are held in Tokyo. All 12 US players scored in the game.
For head coach Mike Krzyzewski, it was his final time at the helm of Team USA.
This was the first Olympic medal for Serbia since 1996 Atlanta Games, when the then Yugoslavia won the silver medal after losing to the US.
Team USA might have had numerous close games on their way to a gold medal, but nobody can complain about the end result. It was a total team effort. The Serbian women’s basketball team won bronze on Saturday.
The U.S. beat Serbia by just 94-91 in pool play, holding on when Bogdan Bogdanovic missed a 3-pointer at buzzer.
It was a close contest to start, as the US led 19-15 after one, before Kevin Durant came to life. After the game, Carmelo Anthony announced that he would retire from Team USA. The coach will be different, the roster will be different, but the goal always remains the same.
Advertisement
The Americans got their gold, and they did it easily.
