MANILA, Philippines – Team USA’s pursuit of a fifth straight gold medal continues in the 2024 Paris Olympics as it clashes with Puerto Rico on Saturday, August 3.
Despite already being assured of a ticket to the quarterfinals and the top spot in Group C, USA looks to avoid any letup as it goes for a dominant 3-0 sweep of the group phase before advancing to the knockout stage.
Thanks to a well-balanced attack on offense, the mighty Americans dominated South Sudan from start to finish for a resounding 103-86 win on Thursday, August 1.
A total of six USA players scored in double figures in the wire-to-wire victory, with Bam Adeabyo emerging as the surprise topscorer with 18 points on a healthy 8-of-10 field goal clip.
Kevin Durant followed up his 23-point explosion with a 14-point performance, while USA captain LeBron James delivered another all-around stat line of 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Going up against a winless Puerto Rican squad, expect USA head coach Steve Kerr to shake things up anew for the superstar-studded crew and try different combinations of players on the floor.
In their opening showdown versus Serbia, Kerr did not field in Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, before benching Joel Embiid against South Sudan due to matchup concerns.
However, Kerr revealed that Embiid will be back in the starting lineup on Saturday, together with James, Steph Curry, Jrue Holiday, and Devin Booker.
For Puerto Rico – which is already eliminated from medal contention – look for New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado to bounce back after a lackluster 2-point showing in their 107-66 loss to Serbia last Wednesday, July 31.
Game time is 11:15 pm, Manila time. – Rappler.com
