By Humberto Viera
31 Jul 2024, 17:29 PM EDT
The United States basketball team, considered the heavy favorite to win the gold medal, defeated South Sudan with a score of 103-86 in the second game of Group C of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games tournament. This match, played at the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d’Ascq, on the outskirts of Lille, mathematically assured the Americans of their passage to the quarterfinals.
Under the guidance of Steve Kerr, the American team did not have to go all out to get the win. Bam Adebayo was the top scorer of the match with 18 points. Despite the loss, South Sudanese player Nuni Omot was the most productive of the match, scoring 24 points and sharing the best PIR of the match (25) with Adebayo.
Adebayo, with 16 points and 5 rebounds, Kevin Durant, with 11 points and 2 rebounds, and a historic LeBron James, with 10 points and 4 rebounds, led the American team. This match was a rematch of the preparatory friendly that ended 101-100 in favor of the United States, where both teams had shown a very even level.
The Dream Team remained consistent in each of the quarters of the match. Except for the first few minutes of the first quarter, the American team never trailed on the scoreboard, imposing an intense pace of play and always maintaining a significant difference in the score.
LeBron James joined Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony as the only players on the U.S. men’s basketball team to score 300 Olympic points.
This victory reinforces the position of Kerr’s men as the favorites to take home the gold medal. They still have one more match to play in the group stage against Puerto Rico, which has suffered two defeats in its two appearances and hopes to pull off a surprise victory. With this victory, Team USA is already looking forward to the quarterfinals, consolidating itself as the team to beat in the tournament.
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