The U.S. seized its fourth straight gold medal in men’s Olympic basketball on Friday, winning 87-82 over France in the final.
Following a two-game losing streak and Team USA’s loss to France in its opener of the Olympics, it was safe to say that Kevin Durant and the Americans were seeking revenge against the French.
“They presented a nice challenge again. We wanted them again. We wanted to play them again just like we wanted Australia again and we were able to finish this game off,” said Kevin Durant after the win.
They became just the second team to win the gold medal after losing its opener of the Olympics, according to ESPN. The first team to ever do it was the Soviet Union in 1988.
After Team USA lead by 7 points with just 30 seconds remaining in the game, two missed free throws by Damian Lillard would cause a 4-point swing in France’s favor, cutting the lead three. Durant would close the game on two made free throws in the final eight seconds, capping off the win for the Americans.
It might be time to have the conversation about Durant not only being the best player in the world, but also the greatest member of USA men’s basketball ever.
He’s now tied Carmelo Anthony with three gold medals for the most in U.S. men’s Olympic history. He also leads the U.S. for the most points, free throws made, and 3-pointers made in the country’s history.
Durant finished with 29 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 9-for-18 shooting from the field for Team USA. He was just one point away from a third consecutive 30-point gold-medal game.
Jayson Tatum had 19 points for the U.S., while both Jrue Holiday and Lillard each had 11 points.
Holiday and Khris Middleton have now won an NBA Championship and an Olympic gold medal in less than three weeks.
For France, Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 8 rebounds, while Evan Fournier also had 16 points and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot had 11 points. They take home the silver medal for the third time in France men’s basketball history.
Ultimately, the game came down to the turnover differential. On top of 11 missed free throws, the French had 18 turnovers compared to Team USA’s nine. France simply didn’t get the result they were looking for after defeating the U.S. just 14 days ago by a score of 83-76.
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