The second game of the men’s Olympic basketball quarterfinals in Tokyo featured the two top-ranked international basketball teams in the world as the U.S. and Spain faced off.
Team USA would survive Ricky Rubio’s 38-point performance and advance to the Olympic semifinals with a 95-81 victory over Spain.
The U.S. underwent another slow start in the first half of one of their matchups, but a 22-6 run to open the third quarter would give them a 16-point lead over Spain. The Spanish would respond by ending the quarter on a 14-4 run–cutting the Americans’ lead to just six points.
A trio of Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Damian Lillard went on to combine for 22 of Team USA’s 26 fourth-quarter points as they quickly closed the door on Spain.
Through the first three quarters, Kevin Durant continued to look like the best player in the world. He ended with 29 points on 10-for-17 shooting, including 4-for-7 from three-point range for the U.S.
Jayson Tatum added 13 points, while Jrue Holiday had 12 points and Damian Lillard had 11 points for Team USA.
For Spain, had Durant not single-handedly kept the U.S. in the game through the first two quarters, they may have just won and advanced.
With the Americans shooting just 4-for-17 on threes, the Spanish led by as much as eight points in the final two minutes of the second quarter. They continued to dominate the Americans with their size– winning the rebound battle 29-18 at halftime.
Provided by mainly Durant and Lillard, Team USA ended the quarter on a 10-2 run, tying the game at 43 heading into the half.
Spain’s quarterfinal loss almost seems like the end of an era with the Gasol brothers, Rudy Fernandez, and Sergio Rodriguez all being at the age of 35 years or older.
Rubio led all scorers with 38 points on 13-for-20 shooting from the field, and 4-for-7 from three-point range.
Rodriguez had 16 points for Spain, while Willy Hernangomez had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
The U.S. will now face the winner of the Australia and Argentina quarterfinals matchup in the semifinals of the Olympic games.
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