Tokyo Olympics: Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum step up, lead USA men’s basketball squad over Czech Republic
- The Americans now head into a knockout stage with a 2-1 record and questions surrounding their offence under Gregg Popovich
- Kevin Durant, of the Brooklyn Nets, finally caught fire, downing 23 points while Jayson Tatum had 27 as the two punished a suspect Czech defence
The USA squad were down 18-25 in the first quarter against a squad who only have one NBA player – Tomas Satoransky, of the Chicago Bulls – however, they slowly built up a lead heading into the fourth quarter. Kevin Durant sliced and diced through Czech defenders all night, finishing with 23 points and then headed for the bench to rest in the fourth while Jayson Tatum had 27.
The USA team kicked off their tournament with a shocking loss to France 83-76 on the heels of a 28 point performance by Evan Fournier, who plays for the Boston Celtics. France opened the game up in the third quarter, where they outscored the USA 25-11. Jrue Holliday responded with 18 points in the loss.
In their second group game, the USA responded with a 120-66 thrashing of Iran, in which six American players got into double digits in terms of points. Damian Lillard, of the Portland Trail Blazers, led the squad with 21. Part of the problem with the American squad is they have been unable to get Durant, arguably the team’s best player, to catch fire with any consistency. Lillard said the team were still trying to gel and find their identity.
“I think everybody was worried about not wanting to look selfish or look like they’re not throwing themselves into the team, and I think it showed with how guys were kind of hesitant and kind of passive,” Lillard said after the team’s win over Iran. “I think we are starting to figure out that being ourselves and doing what we do is going to work for us. Playing fast, using our athleticism, using our speed. We have a lot of guys that can score.”
