Team USA Bounces Back with a Win Over Iran

Team USA returned to their usual dominance in Wednesday’s 120-66 win over the Iranians in their second game of the 2020 Tokyo Games. 

Through the first eight minutes of the game, it was fairly close with Team USA leading just 17-12 in the first quarter. The Americans would quickly close that quarter on an 11-0 run in the final four minutes to take a 16-point lead.  

Team USA took a 60-30 at halftime after shooting 21-for-37 (57%) from the field and 13-for-21 (62%) from three-point range in the first half. They’d bury Iran from that point on with every player on Team USA having scored by the end of the game. 

Damian Lillard led all scorers with 21 points, and they all came off threes. Following his 3-for-10 shooting performance against France, he shot 7-for-13 from three-point range against the Iranians. 

Devin Booker scored 16 for the U.S., while Jayson Tatum had 14 points and Zach Lavine had 13 points. 

Before Wednesday’s win, Team USA has had a rough summer, to say the least. 

After their 83-76 loss on Sunday against France in the first game of the qualifiers, the team was trending towards disappointment in the Olympics. It was Team USA’s first loss in the Olympics since 2004 and their third loss over the last five games. 

The U.S. will now face the Czech Republic for their third and final game of the qualifiers on Saturday. A win will guarantee them qualification, but a loss could put the U.S. in the knockout round.