Former Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant, who had been inconsistent throughout the tournament, saved his best for last, leading all players with thirty points.
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Carmelo Anthony also picked up his third gold to go with a bronze, becoming the most decorated male in Olympic basketball history.
After Kevin Durant hit a 3-pointer early in the second quarter, he walked back down the court while pounding his fist on his chest and yelling at his teammates on the bench nearby.
The 32-year-old team captain was a valuable member offensively and defensively throughout the tournament, and has been one of the faces in US basketball for over a decade. The game capped a brilliant tenure as Team USA coach for Krzyzewski who signs off having guided the USA to three consecutive gold medals in the Olympics and a near flawless record of 88 wins and 1 loss.
The Serbs, beaten just 94-91 in the group game, had hoped for a similarly close contest but were up to the task only in the first quarter as they lost nearly as heavily against the United States as in the 2014 World Cup final which ended 129-92.
That experience shows up in Durant’s progression throughout the Olympic tournament.
The Americans haven’t lost since, winning 25 straight in the Olympics.
A few of the victories were more hard than usual in this tournament, where half of the Americans’ eight games were decided by 10 points or fewer.
Team USA defeated Serbia 96-66 on Sunday in the gold medal game, and Durant poured in a team-high 30 points. He is already the Americans’ No. 2 career scorer in the Olympics in just two appearances. “I won’t be [the managing director]”, Krzyzewski said at Raleigh-Durham International Airport Monday.
Durant led the team with 155 points over eight games, scoring 71 of them in the final three matchups.
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For the Aussies, it’s more Olympic heartbreak. The team owns a 60-1 record since that debacle.
