[ad_1]
After a rocky start, Team USA’s men’s basketball team will play for gold on Friday against France. The All-Star Men’s team struggled early in the exhibition match, but recently found their place, thanks in large part to Kevin Durant’s world-class score.
The United States team will face its toughest challenge in France, consisting of NBA players Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier and Nicholas Batum. If they win, it will be the fourth in a row Olympic Games for Team USA’s men’s team to win gold in the event. (They have already won in 2008, 2012 and 2016.)
The United States team beat Australia 97-78 in the semi-finals on Thursday. The United States trailed at halftime, but Durant finished with a high 23 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He will need another big performance, and his teammates will have to shoot much better for three if Team USA is to continue their streak.
How to watch Team USA men’s basketball vs France
- Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
- Dated: Friday August 6, 2021
- Place: Saitama Super Arena, Tokyo
- Channel: NBC and NBCOlympics.com. Both require cable subscriptions.
Earlier this week, Durant became the all-time leading scorer in American men’s basketball at the Olympics, overtaking Carmelo Anthony. If Team USA wins gold, he will become the second player behind Anthony to win four gold medals in the sport. After leading his team to defeat Australia, he spoke about the team’s recent success.
“We knew the teams were going to come out quickly and hit us with a good punch and see how we reacted,” Durant told reporters. “I think a lot of teams expect us to go to bed early, so we stayed true to that, we stayed true to our principles, made some pattern changes and we were able to gain momentum. at halftime and the guys came out with that intensity. ”
“We also had some shots, so it all worked out for us in this second half. That’s who we are.”
Ezra Shaw / Getty
What happened the last time the United States team faced France?
Last week, France ended Team USA’s 25-game winning streak in a stunning 83-76 loss. Fournier, who plays for the New York Knicks, led France with 28 points and was undeniably the best player on the pitch that day. Fournier shot 50% from the field and knocked down four three-pointers.
Gobert, the Utah Jazz center with three NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, racked up 14 points and nine rebounds for France.
The best player on the U.S. team was Jrue Holiday, who joined the team late after helping the Milwaukee Bucks win their first NBA championship in 50 years. Holiday scored a team-high 18 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter. Some of the team’s key players – Kevin Durant, Zach Lavine and Devin Booker – recorded more fouls than shots, which ultimately led to the loss of Team USA.
“This is my first time on this stage, you always want to make a good impression. I just came out and played as hard as I could,” Holliday told reporters. “We were lucky. France are a good team. They play very, very well together. They were consistent throughout the game.”
Gregory Shamus / Getty
The France team passed a major test on Thursday, beating Slovenia and the very hot Luka Doncic, 90-89. Fournier ultimately fouled out of the game, but continued his shooting streak with 23 points. In the tournament, Fournier averaged 19 points per game. But it was Batum who was praised for his late-game exploits after blocking Doncic in the dying seconds of the game to seal the victory. Batum finished with three points, five rebounds and four blocks.
“I’ve always dreamed of playing in this type of game,” Batum said, The Associated Press reported. “I had to make this game – this game – for my team. And I did.”
Odds for the United States team vs France
Team USA is an 11.5 point favorite to win the game. As of Thursday, the money line for betting on Team USA is -900, which means if you bet $ 10 you will only win $ 1, with some change. France, the underdog, is +520 which means you would win $ 52 if you bet $ 10.
Meanwhile, the over-under for the final is currently at 177.5 points overall.
Justin Carissimo contributed reporting.
[ad_2]
Source link