TEAM USA rolled into the 2024 Paris Olympics men’s basketball quarterfinals in style after blowing out Puerto Rico, 104-83, and complete a sweep of Group C inside Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France,
After a close first quarter which saw the Puerto Ricans taking a four point lead, the Americans responded with a 39 point second quarter led by the hot hands of Anthony Edwards to break the game wide open for good.
Trailing by 35-34 early in the second, Edwards joined hands with LeBron James and Kevin Durant as they commandeered a 30-10 end to the first half and took a 64-45 lead at the break, a lead they never relinquished.
The Americans led by as many 31 points in the third, and while the Puerto Ricans started finding their rhythm in the fourth quarter it proved to be too little and too late for the islanders from the Caribbean
Edwards led six Team USA players in double digits as he finished with 26 points, three assists and two steals while Joel Embiid played through the jeers and the boos of the French people in attendance to finish with 15 points and two blocks.
James once again played the role of facilitator for the Americans as he finished with eight assists to go along with his 10 points. In three games, LeBron’s been averaging 7.3 assists to lead the Americans’ high octane offense.
Now the Americans barge into the quarterfinals looking as good as advertised when James and the like decided to suit up for Team USA following a disappointing American campaign in the FIBA World Cup.
In the group phase, Team USA has by far the biggest point differential with a winning average of 21.3 points per game while breaching the century mark in every game they’ve played in.
New Orleans Pelicans’ Jose Alvarado led the way for Puerto Rico with 18 points, half of which coming in a sizzling first quarter for the Latin Americans as they looked poised to pull an upset after taking a 29-25 lead.
But just like the previous two games, the problem for teams comes when both squads sub in their bench players, with the USA having the luxury of playing guys like Edwards and Durant off the bench.
As expected, Puerto Rico got walloped 52-37 in bench production as they ended their return to the Olympics with a 0-3 record.
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