Team USA Dominates Puerto Rico to Secure Top Seed

Team USA wrapped up Olympic pool play with a perfect 3-0 record, defeating Puerto Rico 104-83 to secure the top seed for the medal round in Paris.

Victory Over Puerto Rico

Despite being favored by 36.5 points, Team USA’s 21-point win was still solid. They shot nearly 50% from the field and just over 28% from beyond the arc. Coach Steve Kerr said, “We achieved our goal of winning all three games and getting the top seed. We know it gets tougher from here.”

Anthony Edwards stole the show with a windmill dunk in Paris! https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/1819776500196864079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Edwards led scoring with 26 points, hitting an impressive 73.3% of his shots. Reflecting on his performance, he said, “I wanted to dunk on somebody but didn’t get a chance until now.”

Key Performances

Kevin Durant added another strong game off the bench with 11 points, bringing his total to 48 across three games. He’s closing in on Lisa Leslie’s all-time American Olympic scoring record.

LeBron James has been playing point guard recently and tallied eight assists against Puerto Rico while also contributing ten points.

Fans believe this team has what it takes to win gold!

Joel Embiid had a rough start but bounced back with his best game yet, scoring fifteen points and blocking two shots despite being booed by French fans.

Joel “Troel” Embiid embraced boos from French fans: https://twitter.com/BASKETBALLonX/status/1819782060069794269?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Embiid sees these boos as respect rather than hate: “If I wasn’t good at basketball, they wouldn’t boo me.”

Puerto Rico’s Effort

Jose Alvarado was Puerto Rico’s standout player with eighteen points. His team even led by eight at one point during the first quarter.

Almost twenty years ago, Puerto Rico shocked everyone by beating Team USA by nineteen points in the Olympics—a historic upset that remains memorable today!