The USA men’s basketball team has comfortably advanced to the knockout stages of the Paris Olympics 2024 after registering a perfect record in the group stage. The star-studded team, led by LeBron James and including Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Edwards, defeated Puerto Rico 104-83 in their final group-stage match on Saturday.
Team USA defeated Nikola Jokic’s Serbia and South Sudan in their previous two Olympic fixtures in Paris. Superstar LeBron James made the headlines with his dominant performance, averaging 14.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in three games while shooting 65% from the field.
During the game against Puerto Rico, LeBron James threw down a putback slam dunk after Stephen Curry missed his layup. With 1:56 remaining in the second quarter, LeBron James, who set a record for most Olympics assists for Team USA, threw the ball toward Curry, who failed to convert. However, LeBron showed his unparalleled basketball IQ and scored an emphatic dunk to take the USA’s lead to 14 points.
The 39-year-old’s putback slam dunk forced the Team USA bench to stand on their feet and appreciate the greatness of ‘King’ James.
LeBron James and Co. Enter Paris Olympics 2024 Men’s Basketball Quarterfinal
Team USA qualified for the Men’s Basketball quarter-finals at the Paris Olympics 2024 with a perfect record of three wins in three matches. In their final group-stage clash against Puerto Rico, Anthony Edwards scored a game-high 26 points, shooting 73% from the field and 50% from the three-point range.
Apart from Team USA, FIBA Men’s World Cup 2023 champions Germany and Canada are the other two teams that managed to have a perfect record on the group stage. However, the USA leads the combined ranking due to their better point difference.
The top eight teams in the combined ranking will qualify for the quarter-finals, as France, Australia, Serbia, Brazil, and Greece are the other five teams to reach the last eights.
