What We Learned When Steph Moves Early, Team USA Earns First Place originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Another effort from Team USA helped give them the edge over Puerto Rico with a dominant 104-83 victory Saturday at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Americans entered the contest needing at least a five-point victory to secure the No. 1 spot, but a 21-point outburst will also suffice.
Steph Curry, who despite one game into his Olympic debut, has struggled so far to find his rhythm, started early but had a cold second half.
But just like before, it didn’t matter to Team USA.
Anthony Edwards led the way with 26 points. Joel Embiid had 15 points. Kevin Durant added 11. Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and LeBron James each finished with 10.
New Orleans Pelicans and Puerto Rico point guard Jose Alvarado led his team with XX.
And for the first time during the Olympics, amid growing controversy, Team USA coach Steve Kerr played every available player on the roster. Jrue Holiday was sidelined with an ankle issue.
Here are the takeaways from Team USA’s defeat of Puerto Rico in the group final.
Steph heats up
One game after scoring just three points on 1-of-9 shooting, Curry returned to play on Saturday.
At least in the first half.
He’s still not turning out the lights in the way the world knows he’s capable of, but the Warriors star displayed a promising first half before cooling off in the second.
Curry scored five points in the first quarter before knocking down a triple in the second quarter. At halftime, he had eight points.
And after making it 0-2 at the end of the third, Chef was eliminated in the fourth as the Americans had a comfortable lead.
Ant-Man dominates
If there’s one guy who knows how to get his team – and the fans – going, it’s Edwards.
His electric energy radiated on and off the court on Saturday, but he put that enthusiasm into his game with a dominant performance against Puerto Rico.
The 22-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves star finished with 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, with three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 26 minutes off the bench.
KD makes history
Olympics KD is a different breed.
With 11 points and four rebounds in Saturday’s victory, Durantb became the USA Basketball team’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder.
Durant shot 50 percent from the field and 42.8 percent from beyond the arc, also tallying three assists and a steal in just under 19 minutes off the bench.
