Team USA defeated Australia with a resounding 97-78 victory. Australia gave the U.S. and Jayson Tatum a scare early on by jumping out to a 15-point lead but Team USA responded effectively.
Celtics star, Tatum, had a solid outing scoring nine points, three rebounds, and three assists. He missed a few easy ones around the rim but on any other night he might’ve ended up with 15 points or more. His presence was felt on the defensive end where he added 1 steal and 2 blocks to round out a complete game for the Celtics forward.
The Americans had a rough first half shooting the ball but were able to cut that 15-point deficit down to just three by halftime. In similar fashion to their previous two matchups, The U.S. used a massive third quarter to pull away. They outscored the Australians by a score of 32-10 in the quarter and maintained that distance the rest of the way.
Nets forward Kevin Durant proved once again that he is a legitimate candidate for best player in the world with another stellar performance. He finished with 23 points to add onto his record as the all-time U.S. men’s basketball leading scorer. Suns guard Devin Booker responded with a 20-point game of his own after a rough outing against Spain on Tuesday.
The formula for Team USA to take home the gold is simple, hit three’s and run in transition. In the first half, they did neither and fell behind but did both in the second to run away with the win.
Tatum and Team USA await the winner between France and Slovenia in the other semi-final. That game will be played on Friday, August 6th at 10:30 p.m. EDT on Peacock.
(Photo of Jayson Tatum: by THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images)