The USA’s men basketball team will face Serbia for a place in the gold medal match after thrashing Brazil 122-87 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday morning (AEST).
It wasn’t without some cause for concern for the undeniable gold medal favourites, with LeBron James leaving the court for treatment after being hit in the face by an accidental elbow.
He would return to the bench late in the fourth quarter with seemingly no ill-effects.
Team United States’ win means that had the Boomers defeated Nikola Jokic’s Serbia earlier in the day, it would have set up a mouth-watering matchup between Australia and the USA in the semis.
However, Serbia will get the chance to atone a 110-84 loss to the Americans during the group stage.
Against Brazil, the USA jumped out to an early 12-point lead midway through the first quarter and never really looked back, with the South American country getting no closer than seven points for the rest of the game.
Leading 33-21 at first quarter time, the USA put the foot on the pedal in the second period, with James putting on a dazzling passing display.
USA led 63-36 at halftime with James leading the way on 10 points and eight assists. He’d finish the game with 12 points, nine assists and three rebounds.
Devin Booker came alive in the third quarter, nailing three three pointers and finishing with a team-high 18 points while Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was able to shine in the fourth, scoring 12 points down the stretch and 17 for the game.
Joel Embiid was another who impressed for Team United States, recording 14 points and seven rebounds in 12 minutes on the floor.
The Brazilians tried hard but just couldn’t keep pace with the star power of their opponents.
Former NBA star Bruno Caboclo didn’t die wondering, connecting with 13 of 20 shots for a game high 30 points.
Source Agencies
