Embiid, Durant lead Team USA win over Brazil to reach Paris semis
Joel Embiid and Kevin Durant led the way as Team USA ousted Brazil to reach the 2024 Paris Olympics basketball tournament semifinals.
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EMBIID, DURANT LEAD WAY IN USA WIN OVER BRAZIL IN PARIS
Embiid and Durant led the way as Team USA defeated Brazil, 122-87, on Tuesday.
Furthermore, Embiid came through with 14 points and seven rebounds in 12 minutes in the first half.
Durant continued to thrive in a bench role with 11 points at the Bercy Arena.
Moreover, Embiid continued interacting with the French fans with his WWE-inspired chop maneuver.
That antic got the Philadelphia 76ers center fined twice in the NBA but not on this night in Paris.
“Oh no, they still might find a way (to fine me) but that felt good,” Embiid said.
“It’s good to have fun too because, at the end of the day, you got to take something out of this experience,” he added.
KD PASSES LISA LESLIE RECORD WITH MOST POINTS IN OLYMPIC HISTORY
Moreover, Durant passed Lisa Leslie for the most points in US Olympic history with his performance Tuesday.
The Phoenix Suns superstar now has 494 points in his Olympic career.
Durant downplayed the feat, as he was more focused on helping Team USA win the gold.
“Records are meant to be broken, so somebody will come along and do the same to me,” the player also known as KD said.
“My focus is on trying to win this gold,” he added.
Durant is seeking his fourth Olympic gold after winning in London in 2012, Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and Tokyo in 2020.
LEBRON JAMES THRIVES IN POINT-FORWARD ROLE AS TEAM USA READY FOR SERBIA
Furthermore, LeBron James is thriving in his point-forward role for Team USA, which will next face Serbia in the semifinals.
James had 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting but it was his nine assists in 12 minutes that gets him consideration as Olympics MVP.
Team USA coach Steve Kerr described James as “crazy” for the numbers he’s providing for them so far.
“For a guy who truly is a point forward at heart, for him to be the leading scorer in NBA history when that’s kind of the secondary thing that he does, he’s crazy,” Kerr said.
“But that’s LeBron,” he added.
Moreover, James’ pinpoint passing has led to the Americans collecting 18 assists on their first 19 baskets Tuesday.