Aug. 3 (UPI) — Anthony Edwards scored 12 first-half points and the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team overcame a first-quarter deficit to beat Puerto Rico 104-83 in the final game of group play in Paris on Saturday.
The win cements Team USA atop Group C and the team now moves on to the quarterfinals in Paris on Tuesday.
Canada and Germany head into the quarterfinals with matching 3-0 records to lead their groups, however the U.S. team enters the knockout round with the highest seed based on point differential.
The United States handily beat Serbia and France in its first two games of the tournament.
Puerto Rico used its speed to put together an 11-0 run in the first quarter, forcing head coach Steve Kerr to call a timeout and calm his troops.
After the whistle, Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant then immediately split two Puerto Rican defenders in the paint, putting down a two-handed dunk to end the run.
From that point, the U.S. star power proved too much, even with Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday missing the contest with an ankle injury.
Durant, Steph Curry and Olympic flag bearer Lebron James finished the first half with eight points, while Edwards led the way with 12. Edwards finished with a game-high 26 points along with three rebounds and three assists.
James finished with 10 points while Durant had 11. Center Joel Embid chipped in with a quiet 15 points.
“It’s the best feeling ever,” Edwards told NBC Sports Olympic host Mike Tirico during a post-game interview, describing how he idolized James and Durant growing up.
“It’s a dream come true that I get to play alongside those guys so I’m making the most of it.”
Durant is in eighth place on the all-time Olympics scoring, moving past Russian Sergei Belov and his 475 career points in the international tournament. Durant already has the most points in the history of the U.S. Olympic team, and his three rebounds Saturday helped him surpass Carmelo Anthony as the program’s all-time rebound leader.
James and Curry seemed unfazed after building up an eventual 64-45 first-half lead, smiling and joking with each other leaving the court at Pierre Mauroy Stadium, near Lille, in northern France.
Team USA finished the third quarter up 87-56 with James playing to the crowd and Edwards throwing down an explosive one-handed dunk on a fast break free of defenders.
‘It’s been a fun first three games and we’re looking forward to the medal rounds now,” Durant said in a post-game interview on NBC.
