US rolls into semifinals of Paris Olympic basketball tournament

PARIS (AP) — There was a infinitesimal wherever Brazil mightiness person thought it had a chance. It trailed nan U.S. by only 8 midway done nan 2nd quarter. A large shortage had turned into thing alternatively manageable.

The infinitesimal was short-lived.

A 21-2 tally turned things into their predictable blowout authorities and for nan 20th clip successful 20 Olympic appearances, nan U.S. will play for a medal. Devin Booker led a balanced beforehand pinch 18 points and nan Americans had small problem pinch Brazil successful nan quarterfinals of nan Paris Olympics, winning 122-87 connected Tuesday night.

The U.S. (4-0) moves connected to look Serbia (3-1) successful Thursday’s semifinals, while Germany (4-0) takes connected France (3-1) successful nan different semifinal. Winners of those games will play Saturday nighttime for nan golden medal; Thursday’s losers will play Saturday greeting for nan bronze medal.

If location was 1 issue, it was this: LeBron James near successful nan 3rd 4th aft catching an elbow astir his near eye, struck by Brazil’s Georginho de Paula while going for a rebound. James went down, yet pressed a towel complete nan oculus and near for nan locker room area later successful nan third.

By then, nan crippled was successful hand. That 21-2 tally complete nan last 3:56 of nan first half eliminated immoderate uncertainty location mightiness person been — let’s beryllium honest, location wasn’t much, if immoderate — and nan U.S. turned that eight-point lead into a 63-36 runaway going into nan last 20 minutes.

Bruno Caboclo was nan prima for Brazil, starring each scorers pinch 30 points.

Anthony Edwards scored 17 points, while Joel Embiid — booed again successful France, of people — had 14 points and 7 rebounds successful 12 first-half minutes for nan Americans. Anthony Davis vanished pinch 13 points and 8 rebounds for nan U.S. James had 12 points and 9 assists.

Kevin Durant scored 11 points and passed Lisa Leslie arsenic nan U.S. Olympic profession scoring leader, men’s aliases women’s. Leslie had 488 points successful her 4 Olympic appearances, each of which ended pinch golden medals. Durant is trying to spell 4 for 4 connected nan golden beforehand arsenic well; he’s 2 wins distant from getting that done.

Playing successful Paris for nan first clip during these Games, nan crowd was smaller — nan arena utilized for nan 3 games successful nan group shape is astir doubly arsenic large arsenic nan 1 being utilized for nan knockout shape — but fixed nan stakes, nan turnout surely seemed much star-studded.

Retired U.S. Olympic hoops prima Carmelo Anthony and his son, Kiyan, were there, seated adjacent to Pau Gasol successful VIP spots adjacent nan court. U.S. women’s prima A’ja Wilson had a spot adjacent to Snoop Dogg, who has go nan unofficial ambassador of each things Team USA astatine these Olympics.

They came for a show. They sewage one. James led nan end-of-half surge, and that was fundamentally nan game.

“Bron conscionable retired location throwing dimes,” UConn women’s prima Paige Bueckers offered connected X, nan level formerly known arsenic Twitter, and she wasn’t wrong. He was 4 for 4 successful nan half from nan floor, 2 for 2 from nan line, a tidy 10 points and 8 assists.

James walked backmost to nan chair pinch astir 3 minutes near successful nan game, aft being tended to pursuing that changeable to nan face.

And nan crowd successful Paris roared.

Maybe it was because James was fine. It mightiness person been because astatine nan aforesaid moment, French Olympic swimming prima Leon Marchand — a victor of 4 golden medals astatine these Paris Games — was being shown connected nan scoreboard arsenic well.