Team USA 97 vs 78 Australia 2021 Tokyo Olympics summary, stats, highlights
The United States men’s basketball team is on to the gold medal match after a comeback win over Australia Thursday afternoon. Kevin Durant was stellar for a second straight game, leading his team to a 97-78 win.
Aussies back to back wins vs. USA before semis
Australia came into Thursday’s game having won the previous two contests against the Americans. They beat KD and company in an exhibition just days before the Olympics started. They also beat the US in the FIBA World Championship in 2019
It was a slow start for both teams, especially the Americans out of the gate. Team USA started sluggish and seemingly uninterested in defending from time to time. Patty Mills and Joe Inlges set the tone the Aussies. Mills’ speed really affected the defending champions, and Ingles opened up the defense with this hot shooting start.
Slow start for Team USA
USA looked out of sorts, having trouble holding on to the ball and hitting shots from downtown in the first 15 minutes. Coach Popovic’s men went 0-8 from three point range and committed eight turnovers in the first fifteen minutes.
The Aussies were clicking on the offensive end, and at one point led as many as 15 points in the second quarter, but Kevin Durant kept his side in the game while the rest of the team was going through a bit of a drought.
Booker came alive and so did Team USA
There was a 20-6 USA run from the end of the second quarter to the beginning of the third that saw the Americans go to halftime down only three and they took the lead in the opening minutes of the third. The US would carry that lead to the finish line, using a 15-2 run to end the third quarter to put the game on ice. Australia looked out of gas in the fourth and USA stretched the lead out to as many as 23 in the fourth quarter.
Durant was brilliant especially when he had to be in the first half, He ended with 23 points, but it was Devin Booker who came alive in the second half. Booker scored 20 points. Patty Mills was the top scorer for the Aussies, with 15 points while Dante Exum scored 14 but it wasn’t enough to make a comeback.
Now Team USA will have to wait until this afternoon (in Tokyo) to see if they will play France or Slovenia in the Final
After a bumpy beginning, Team USA is right where they planned on being, in the gold medal match. They will play the winner of the France Slovenia later on today
The United States men’s basketball team is on to the gold medal match after a comeback win over Australia Thursday afternoon. Kevin Durant was stellar for a second straight game, leading his team to a 97-78 win.
Aussies back to back wins vs. USA before semis
Australia came into Thursday’s game having won the previous two contests against the Americans. They beat KD and company in an exhibition just days before the Olympics started. They also beat the US in the FIBA World Championship in 2019
It was a slow start for both teams, especially the Americans out of the gate. Team USA started sluggish and seemingly uninterested in defending from time to time. Patty Mills and Joe Inlges set the tone the Aussies. Mills’ speed really affected the defending champions, and Ingles opened up the defense with this hot shooting start.
Slow start for Team USA
USA looked out of sorts, having trouble holding on to the ball and hitting shots from downtown in the first 15 minutes. Coach Popovic’s men went 0-8 from three point range and committed eight turnovers in the first fifteen minutes.
The Aussies were clicking on the offensive end, and at one point led as many as 15 points in the second quarter, but Kevin Durant kept his side in the game while the rest of the team was going through a bit of a drought.
Booker came alive and so did Team USA
There was a 20-6 USA run from the end of the second quarter to the beginning of the third that saw the Americans go to halftime down only three and they took the lead in the opening minutes of the third. The US would carry that lead to the finish line, using a 15-2 run to end the third quarter to put the game on ice. Australia looked out of gas in the fourth and USA stretched the lead out to as many as 23 in the fourth quarter.
Durant was brilliant especially when he had to be in the first half, He ended with 23 points, but it was Devin Booker who came alive in the second half. Booker scored 20 points. Patty Mills was the top scorer for the Aussies, with 15 points while Dante Exum scored 14 but it wasn’t enough to make a comeback.
Now Team USA will have to wait until this afternoon (in Tokyo) to see if they will play France or Slovenia in the Final
It's all over from Tokyo! Team USA is on their way to the gold medal game
McGee with a cut down the lane and finises with a big jam
Reath to the line hits one of two.
McGee underneath the bucket gets the flush
Sobey to the line, hits two of two.
Sobey for three from the top of the key
Sobey to the line hits two of two
Lavine on the slam off the feed from Holiday
Corner three for Lavine
Timeout Australia with 3:06 to go in the fourth
Reath off the bench gets a mid range jumper off the glass to go
Middleton with the put back off the offensive rebounds
Mills with a three ball. USA wants a TO with 5:20 to go.
Mills gets a lay up to go
Booker for a deep off the feed from Middleton
Ingles lays it in off the drive on the left side.
Tatum wide open in the corner and he drains the three
Landale gets the dunk down low
Middleton in the face of Landale from three point range
Lavine on the steal and slam
Exum hits two of two at the line
Green to the line knocks down two of two.
Delavadova hits two FTs
Booker on the pull up with a deep two to end the quarter
Lavine with the steal and the slam
Tatum in the corner for three
Middleton fading away from outside the lane
Landale on the baby hook in the lane.
Booker on the floater from the right side, gets the bucket and the foul. FT is good for Booker
Booker punches back with a three ball
Kay in the corner for three
Timeout Australia with 4:34 to go in the third quarter
Booker strings a three
Three bal for Mills
Holiday stops and pops and gets the roll of the rim
Landale with a lay up down low, and finally Australia is on the board in the third quarter
KD splashes a three from the top of the key.
KD again, this time form the left side of the lane.
Durant from mid range off the dribble, gets the bucket and the foul. FT is good to complete the three point play
Holiday down the lane connects on the floater
Holiday on the hesitation and drive finishes off the glass
We are back in play from Tokyo. 20 minutes to decide who is going to the gold medal match.
Team USA is shooting just 2-13 from three and they have commited 11 turnovers. All things considered they will feel lucky to only be down by 3
Durant leads all scorers with 15 first half points, Booker has 7. Dante Exum already has 10 points for Australia, but went to the bench holding his hip. We will keep you updated.
We are at the Halftime break from Tokyo with the Aussies up by three. They led by as many as 15.
Holiday muscles his way to the rim and hits the shot from underneath
KD pulls up from the baseline
1:30 to go in the second quarter
Tatum pulls up from three point range
Adebayo fouled by Exum, goes to the line and gets one of two to go
Thybulle hits one of two from the FT line
Booker left alone in the corner
MIlls drains the three with two hands in his face
Holiday to the line, hits one of two
Unsportsmanlike foul on Thybulle, Booker to the line and hits two of two, and US will keep posession.
Durant from the baseline with the runner
Landale on the alley oop off the Exum lob. Timeout USA with 5:23 to go in the first half
Thybulle beating everyone down the court gets the lay up and the foul. FT is good to complete the three point play.
3 ball for Exum who is starting to warm up.
3 ball for Exum who is starting to warm up.
KD on the runner, gets the bucket the foul and the FT
Exum on the strong drive, lays it up off the glass
LIllard to the line, after there was technical called before the TO.
Timeout Australia with 7:28 to go in the fourth quarter
Kay on the turnaround jump hook off the glass
Lillard off the dribble fades away from the left side
Goulding fouled by Middleton behind the line, goes to the line and hits two of three
Goulding strings a three bal
Middleton spots up from mid range and gets the first bucket of the second quarter
Goulding with a three ball right before the buzzer. Australia lead by six at the end of the first quarter.
Lillard drives down main street and gets the finger roll to go
Ingles at the line, hits one of two
Durant again, he's feeling it unfortunatley for the US he's the only one
Holiday uncontested jumper on the baseline
Thybulle off the dump off gets the lay up to go
KD hits another pull up
Kay slams home a dunk off the back door cut
KD finds himself with a wide open lay up
Mills gets the finger roll to go after a drive down the lane
Exum with a three ball
Durant with the pull up from the FT line
Mills to the line out of the TO and hits both
Mills fouled by Green, he will go to the FT line after the US timeout with 5:07 to go in the first quarter
Exum fouled by Durant on the dunk attempt, goes to the line and hits both.
Landale to the line and hits one of two.
Adebayo goes to the line after an Ingles foul, both FTs are good.
Booker slashes to the basket and finishes off the glass
Ingles with another three ball
Ingles puts the Aussies on the board with a three ball
Adebayo gets the scoring going with a baseline jumper
We are underway in the Men's basketball semifinal
Team USA is undefeated against Australia in the Olympics having won eight straight matches
Aussies enjoying recent success vs USA
Australia has defeated Team USA in the last two match ups. The last win came in an exhibition leading up to the Olympics and before that Australia took down the Americans in the FIBA World Championships
Durant gets got at the right time
KD is coming off his best scoring game of the Olympics, he scored 29 points in 31 minutes, including 13 points in the thrid quarter.
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie
Australia is coming off their biggest win of the torunament, a 38 point thumping over Argentina in the quarters. They have an average margin of victory of 17.7 points a game.
Hello everyone and welcome to the men’s basketball semifinal match between Team USA and Australia from Tokyo, Japan. AS English will be keeping you covered with live scores, stats and highlights of one of today’s main events on Day 13 of Tokyo 2020.
Both teams cruised into the semifinals with convincing wins in the quarterfinals and will now square up with a spot in the gold medal match on the line.
Team USA wore down Spain over the course of four quarter and ended up winning by 14 points to secure their spot in the semis. Kevin Durant had his best game of these Olympic Games scoring 29 points in 31 minutes. Since the opening round loss to France in group stages, the US has rolled through the competition but will have a tough task on their hands today against a physical, talented Australia team.
The Aussies have won every game up until this stage, and they have done it by crushing the competition. Their closest contest was the 3 point win against Italy in the second game of the group stage. This is the fifth time Australia has been in the semis, but they have failed to advance in each of their previous four trips.
Damian Lillard is the top scorer for team USA, getting 17 a night, while Kevin Durant sits right behind him with 16.3 ppg. Patty Mills is one of the top scorers in the tournament getting 20.3 a contest while big man Nic Kay is averaging 13 points and seven rebounds an outing.
The winner of the early semifinal will play the winner of the France vs Slovenia game taking place later today.