Paris Olympics

5 takeaways: Team USA dominates Puerto Rico, finishes group play unbeaten

Led by Anthony Edwards' 26 points, Team USA wraps up the No. 1 seed heading into next week's quarterfinals in Paris.

Shaun Powell

Shaun Powell

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LILLE, FRANCE — One week down, one week to go for a team that’s showing zero signs in these Olympics of being … weak. 

Team USA will enter the knockout phase — you lose a game from here, you’re finished — in men’s basketball with plenty of flex and all the obvious advantages intact.

They won their three games in the Group Play by an average of 21 points and did so very easily for the most part. 

“We got done what we wanted to accomplish,” said USA coach Steve Kerr.

Puerto Rico, much like Serbia and South Sudan before, showed spunk and desperation at the start Saturday and briefly took an early lead. And that was the extent of the drama in the USA’s final Group Play contest.

Joel Embiid, the subject of scorn all week from French fans, dropped a turnaround jumper to push USA’s first-half lead to 10, heard boos, egged on the crowd, and really should’ve waved instead because the game by then was essentially over. 

The unbeaten Americans played without Jrue Holiday, sitting out with an ankle tweak, but once again, depth was not an issue for USA and won’t be next week in Paris. Not when the bench is loaded with NBA All-Stars. 

Team USA will open Tuesday with Brazil in the quarterfinals and will sit on the favorable side of the bracket. 

“We’re looking to step it up a level and go get this gold,” said Kevin Durant.

Another level? OK.

Here are five takeaways from the USA’s 104-83 victory over Puerto Rico, what it left behind in Lille, and a hint of what lies ahead in Paris:

1. Embiid answers back

They gave him the business Saturday and he gave it back, along with his best performance since pulling on a USA jersey. Which is the symbol of all the blowback he’s getting from French fans.

It’s an old story by now — Embiid chose to play for the USA over France for the Olympics and feelings are hurt in this country. Until the Puerto Rico game, Embiid showed no emotion. But with the noise increasing — and it’ll only get louder this week in Paris — Embiid decided to have fun with it.

So he waved his arms, cupped his ears and asked for more. He said: Bring it on.

“A lot of people think it’s hate,” Embiid said. “I see it as love and respect. If I wasn’t an OK basketball player, I would not receive that kind of response. I see myself as being blessed. That’s why I interacted with that crowd because I’m blessed. And I’ve seen worse (in the NBA). Nothing that I haven’t seen before.”

He scored 15 points and moved much better than in previous games, a sign that his physical state and health are on the uptick.

Kerr said: “He was sick before the last game and took a little step back. He’s going to be important for us. As for the booing, he’s done a good job of making light of it. He knew this was coming. What I liked was after the French fans booed, the American fans would cheer.” 

Maybe Embiid’s level of play will rise with the boos that are forthcoming, and if so, USA will take that. 

“He’s with us,” said Anthony Edwards. “Be mad. We don’t care. He’ll be alright.”

2. Edwards has his game

This was exactly the type of contest that usually brings out the best in the most talented 25-and-under player on the roster. That would be Edwards.

With the US needing a jolt of scoring, Edwards took that invitation and made the most of it. Not only were his 26 points a team-high, but it was how he did it — efficiently, and with a sinister grin, especially when he brought the crowd to its feet with a breakaway slam and stared into the seats.

Edwards made 11 of 15 attempts and his teammates, seeing his delight, kept feeding him, especially LeBron, who had eight assists.

“He loves to pass it to me, I love to catch it and shoot it,” Edwards said. “I told him if he don’t got no shot, I’ll find one.”

The USA has no shortage of players who can get hot at any time; Edwards was just the latest. Still, it’s a source of security, not only for these Olympics but in the future, because Edwards is almost an automatic choice for 2028 if he chooses to play.

“Anthony can score anytime and in any situation,” Kerr said. “When you need a shot, you know you can get one from him. It’s been a good experience for him on this team. Kevin (Durant) is his idol and he learns from him. The talent is overwhelming.”

3. LeBron was the OG in Group Play

He wrapped up a solid week by being generous, delivering eight assists against Puerto Rico and dictating the tempo for his team. Simply put, LeBron did it all during Group Play. 

“The leadership is there,” said Devin Booker, “and the attention to detail is at a high level. He was vocal with us and we all followed suit.” 

LeBron is taking a businesslike approach to these Games, widely projected to be his last as he approaches 40 later this year. Everyone raves about his focus, especially those who have never been his teammate (not counting the All-Star Game). Which means, everyone besides Anthony Davis.

It must be repeated: At his age, LeBron is at a level above most. In this tournament? He’s been the most impactful player on the most impactful team.

And his actions are laser-beamed toward one goal.

“Off to Paris,” he said. “We’re in a good place.”

4. Second unit is sinister

Could the USA’s backup five beat any starting five in this tournament? This team Saturday trotted out Edwards, Davis, Durant, Bam Adebayo and Derrick White.

That’s NBA championship quality. And that’s why, no matter how sluggish the Americans might be early on, the help is devastating. And this is without Jayson Tatum, who took Holiday’s place in the starting lineup against Puerto Rico and played well, especially on the glass (10 rebounds). 

The impact is felt once the lineups are changed in the first quarter. Once again, the second unit cleaned up some starter mistakes and wore down the opposition, seized control of the score and reset the game.

“Starting, coming off the bench, doesn’t matter,” Booker said. “We have what other teams don’t. We just don’t need to get complacent. It’s easy to let your guard down with the big leads we’ve been able to get, and that’s where it could go south.”

5. Lotta love for Lille

In the months leading up to the Olympics, there was much angst within the governing bodies of basketball regarding this outpost, located closer to the Belgium border than Paris. Like, why Lille? Why is basketball, among the three most popular of all Olympic sports, a 90-minute train ride from the Paris epicenter? 

It involved politics and also functionality. Paris didn’t have two arenas suitable for gymnastics and basketball at the same time. Still, logistically it meant fans and even teams who stayed in Paris making three roundtrips for the games. Team USA had to rent out a car on a train, keeping their Paris hotels but staying in Lille the night before tipoffs.

From a reception and suitability standpoint, Lille was the right call.

“I didn’t even know before we got to Paris that we were going to be playing here,” Durant said. “Incredible atmosphere, showed us so much love. So many basketball fans, scenery was incredible, we had a great time here.” 

The games were held at Pierre Mauroy, a soccer stadium with a retractable roof, and for both the men and women it was packed nightly — some 27,000-plus strong at all men’s Team USA games. Plus, the town was lit and rolled out the red carpet for fans, with street festivals, half-court pickup games, the whole nine.

“It’s a beautiful place,” Kerr said. “Our guys have enjoyed our time here. Now we’re going to Paris. We know we have to play better. This tournament gets harder as it goes. One week sprint, three games.”

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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