Team USA got an emphatic win over Brazil today and advanced to play Serbia in the semifinals of the 2024 Summer Olympics. They were once again led by Kevin Durant, who had a historic day for Team USA, as he passed Lisa Leslie to become the USA's all-time leading scorer. Team USA is the heavy favorite to win another gold medal and Durant is the main reason why.
Durant scored 11 points in the USA men's basketball 122-87 quarterfinal win against Brazil on Tuesday. He entered Tuesday's game trailing the previous mark of 488 points held by U.S. great Lisa Leslie by five points. He got off to a slow start with two points in the first half as Joel Embiid and Devin Booker paced the U.S. scoring effort.
But he got an early bucket off the bench in the third, then followed it up with a dunk from the baseline on a pass from Anthony Davis to give USA an 86-59 lead. The bucket put Durant at 489 career points in his fourth Olympic Games. Leslie set the previous mark in four Olympics that ended with four gold medals. Leslie's mark had stood since the U.S. women secured gold in 2008 in Beijing.
Four Games and 16 years later, the mark now belongs to Durant with two games likely remaining in his USA Basketball career. He finished Tuesday's game with 11 points, sending his career Olympics scoring tally to 494.
Leslie congratulated Durant on the feat on social media:
Congratulations @KDTrey5 I’m honored to have you break my @TeamUSA Olympic record!!! Our dedication to our country is evident and etched in stone!! Now go get another Gold medal my friend! One Team, One Goal, Gold!🥇🇺🇸 #GoUSA
— Lisa Leslie (@LisaLeslie) August 6, 2024
His Olympic performances got the attention of star point guard Trae Young, who was very complementary of Durant and his performance.
KD already a 🐐 but he’s THE Olympic 🐐 best way to describe him
There is an argument to be made that Durant is the best player that has ever played in the Olympics. He has shown he is still an elite player in this league and still a top-notch scorer. They are going to have a rematch with Serbia in the semifinals, who got the help from Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic today in their quarterfinals matchup against Australia.
It was an exciting game today as well. Team Australia came out playing very well and take a commanding lead. Patty Mills is no stranger to playing on the world stage and had a huge first half and a huge game overall. Serbia could not keep up in the first half, with both Bogdanovic and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic struggling to get anything going. Daniels was not doing much on the offensive end, but his defensive prowess was showing and he was making plays on that end of the floor.
The second half was all about Serbia being led by Jokic and Bogdanovic. While Bogdanovic was struggling with his efficiency shooting the ball, Australia went cold from the field, allowing Serbia to get back in the game and force overtime. After Mills tied the game, Bogdanovic missed a shot to win the game and the two teams played extra time to see who was going to advance to the Semifinals. It would be Serbia who would come out on top at the end.
Durant took over as Team USA's top weapon in his first Olympics in 2012 in London while averaging 19.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 48.5% from the field and an 52.3% from 3. That was on a roster that also featured James, Kobe Bryant, Anthony and James Harden. He's since accepted every USA Basketball invitation to play in the Olympics and responded as the program's most consistent weapon in Olympic play while averaging 19.7 points per game for Team USA en route to two more gold medals in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
He entered the Paris Games with a calf injury that limited him in pre-Games practice sessions and warmups. He's since come off the bench as an extravagant Team USA luxury. He averaged 16 points per game in group play while shooting 63% from the field, trailing only Anthony Edwards' team-leading 16.7 points per game.
Now he's two wins away from a fourth Olympic gold medal.
