LeBron James shocked Interviewer by Blasting Puerto Rican team Out of the Park saying these lines
US rolls top Puerto Rico 104-83 in group finale
Anthony Edwards goes up for a dunk as Puerto Rico’s Stevie Thompson Jr. watches.
LAPRESSE
The U.S. is halfway to its gold medal target and enters the medal round of the Paris Olympics as the top seed. Anthony Edwards scored 26 points as the Americans secured their position with a decisive 104-83 victory over Puerto Rico. Their dominant second-quarter performance proved pivotal, solidifying their aim to medal for the 20th consecutive Olympic Games appearance.
“We achieved our goal of winning all three games and securing the top seed,” remarked U.S. coach Steve Kerr. “Now, our focus is on continuous improvement as the competition toughens.”
With an unbeaten record of 3-0 in these Olympics and 8-0 this summer, the Americans are preparing for a quarterfinal showdown against Brazil, emphasizing readiness for the challenges ahead.
Notably, Kevin Durant’s 11 points edged him closer to the all-time U.S. Olympic scoring record, currently held by Lisa Leslie. LeBron James contributed 10 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, while Jayson Tatum and Anthony Davis each added 10 points in a well-rounded team effort.
Despite Puerto Rico’s spirited effort led by Jose Alvarado with 18 points, the U.S. avenged their historic loss from Athens 2004 with a convincing performance, setting their sights on further success in Paris.
Paris 2024 Olympics Basketball United States LeBron James Kevin Durant Anthony Edwards Anthony Davis celebrate bench men basketball game Puerto Rico Summer Games Villeneuve-d’Ascq France
Little different story this time
That day in Athens, Puerto Rico won the second quarter 28-7. This time, the U.S. won the second quarter 39-16. Give Puerto Rico credit; a team that came into Saturday knowing it was eliminated from contention took an eight-point lead late in the first quarter and still led 37-36 with 5:45 left in the half.
The rest of the half: U.S. 28, Puerto Rico 8. The run was quick and decisive. “I think our talent took over in the second quarter and we started to wear them down,” Kerr said. “Our defense kicked in and we had a great quarter, which opened up the game.”
James had all six of his first-half assists during that burst and the Americans took a 64-45 lead into the break. He finished the flurry with a dunk in the final seconds, ran by his 2004 Athens teammate Dwyane Wade – now commentating for NBC, sitting courtside – while yelling something with a big smile and from there the countdown to wrapping up the No. 1 seed was officially on. As would be expected, really.
It’s been three games, three easy wins for the Americans so far in France: a 26-point opening victory over Serbia, a 17-point win over South Sudan to clinch the top spot in Group C, and then Saturday’s game against Puerto Rico that once it got one-sided it stayed that way.
And in every game so far in France, it has been someone new leading the way, at least on the scoring front. Against Serbia, Durant had 23 and James had 21. Against South Sudan, Bam Adebayo scored 18. On Saturday, it was Edwards getting 26.
That’s by design. “It’s weird because Ant goes off tonight, Bam went off the other night, KD the night before that, Bron’s been consistent the whole time,” U.S. guard Stephen Curry said. “Everybody else, you find your place with where shots are coming from. It’s not like anybody is taking over every possession. So it’s just a matter of staying locked in. You might touch the ball once or twice in a quarter, but you’ve got to be ready to take advantage of it.”
