He saved the Americans from a shocking upset, as they downed Australia 98-88 to improve to 3-0 at the Olympics.
Advertisement
The blowouts are over.
It was the first time since the 2004 Olympics the United States has trailed going into the locker room.
“It got real. It definitely got real”, said usa guard Paul George. Sheer talent – and some timely 3’s from Carmelo Anthony – saved the Americans, but the Boomers from Down Under exposed some weaknesses even if they were not able to get the final job done.
Kyrie Irving pitched in double-digits to help his squad in the fourth quarter, including a clutch three-pointer and free throws to keep the squad just ahead against the resilient Australians.
Carmelo Anthony completely dominated the game against Australia, becoming the game’s highest scorer with a tally of 31 points across the four quarters of play.
The first American male basketball player to appear in four Olympics, Anthony also passed LeBron James as the most prolific scorer to ever wear a U.S. jersey.
Carmelo Anthony had a game-high 31 points for the U.S., with Melbourne-born Kyrie Irving scoring 19 points.
With a lineup of National Basketball Association all-stars and MVPs bidding for a third straight gold medal, the US might have expected little trouble from the 11th-ranked Australians, who have never set foot on the Olympic podium.
Durant started the second half with a 3-point shot that sparked a 7-0 run by the Americans to reclaim the lead.
One of the great challenges for any team hoping to beat the U.S.is that they’ll have to find a way to stop both Kevin Durant and Anthony. Andrew Bogut tallied 15 points, and Matthew Dellavedova turned in a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards.
It would’ve been the US’s first defeat to Australia in 15 meetings at either a world championships or the Olympics, while the USA have also gone undefeated in 18 consecutive games at the Olympics since 2004. They quickly blew away Venezuela after it was 18-all, but the only second-quarter surge in this one was made by Australians.
They also match up with the United States better than nearly any other team does.
Anthony moved past LeBron James as the US leader in Olympic scoring, using a hot start to make up the 11-point advantage James had entering the game.
They’ve said it won’t come easily.
They have won two of their three games after previously beating France and Serbia.
Advertisement
It took Team USA nearly 36 minutes to get a decent lead against Australia. He didn’t look for his shot hardly at all with his three shot attempts, but did have a couple nice possessions on defense in Team USA’s seemingly “we can switch everything because we’re that damn good” defensive attack in the half-court.
