Damian Lillard and Team USA Avenge Loss to France for Olympic Gold
Team USA avenged an opening-game loss in a competitive Tokyo Olympics Final on Friday, beating France 87-82 to win their fourth straight gold medal.
After scoring 30 points each with gold on the line in 2012 and 2016, Kevin Durant settled for 29 this time around, shooting 9-of-18 from the field, 3-of-9 on three-pointers and 8-of-9 at the free throw line. The United States' all-time leading Olympic scorer dropped 21 of his points in the first half, keeping the cold-shooting Americans afloat offensively with typically superlative shot-making before his teammates warmed up.
Team USA pushed a five-point halftime lead to 71-57 late in the third quarter, regressing to the mean from three and turning up the pressure on France defensively. But hopes of an American blowout were quickly dashed. The French closed the third quarter on a 6-0 run when Nic Batum's buzzer-beating three splashed through, ensuring the final stanza would be a battle.
The United States scored just two points through the first four-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter, keeping France close. But Damian Lillard, previously quiet, broke the American drought with a pull-up two in high ball-screen action, then put his team up nine on a fading jumper off a baseline out-of-bounds play moments later.
Forced to play an extended foul game late, France finally pulled within a single possession with just 10 seconds remaining, aided by Lillard's uncharacteristic pair of misses from the line a couple trips prior. Durant did away with French's long-shot comeback odds, though, draining two subsequent free throws to guarantee his third consecutive gold medal.
Lillard scored 11 points on as many field goal attempts in the Olympic final, going 2-of-7 from three. He played just under 27 minutes after having his playing time cut in the previous rounds of knockout action, evidence of Lillard's improved, intense—though still far from perfect—defensive effort.
Jayson Tatum had 19 points, functioning as Team USA's go-to guy with Durant off the floor or needing a breather. Jrue Holiday, dominant defensively again, was the other American to reach double-figures, scoring 11 points on questionable shot selection.
The Tokyo Olympics weren't further indication of American basketball exceptionalism. Team USA lost for the first time since 2004, and was pushed near its limit in every stage of the knockout round. Lillard's relative struggles in his USA Basketball debut speak to differences in the international game the Americans can't escape.
But a title is a title, and Team USA won a fourth straight gold against perhaps the best collective competition it's ever faced. Not bad for a country that finished seventh at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.