Kevin Durant scores 29 points and joins Carmelo Anthony as the only 3-time men’s gold medalists in Olympic history.
First Quarter: USA 22, France 18
USA and France met for the third time in the Olympic finals with USA up 2-0 in finals history. France started off the first quarter with a 10-4 run, but Team USA quickly gained momentum behind Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant’s 12 points.
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert added 6 points for Team France.
Halftime: USA 44, France 39
Durant stayed hot in the second quarter, and finished the first half with 21 points in just 16 minutes of playing time. Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum joined Durant in double figures for Team USA with 11 points.
At one point in the second France was down by 12, but Gobert kept the team in the game by dominating inside and finishing the first half with 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Third Quarter: USA 71, France 63
Team USA picked up the biggest lead of the day in the third behind Durant’s 27 points. USA took advantage of France’s 14 total turnovers to keep momentum going into the final frame.
A big three-pointer by Clippers forward Nicolas Batum at the buzzer helped cut the lead at the end of the third. Gobert leads Team France with 16 points.
Final: USA 87, France 82
Team USA hold on to win their 4th consecutive gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Durant led both teams with 29 points, which was just one shy of his Olympic record to secure the win. Team France takes home silver.
