By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Spain resisted for nearly 35 minutes, though Kevin Durant and Team USA did their part to advance to the Olympic tournament semifinals with a 95-81 victory on Tuesday.
Durant led Gregg Popovich’s selection with 29 points, as the USA will have a chance to fight for a spot on the podium against the winner of the Argentina-Australia quarterfinal.
Jason Tatum and Jrue Holiday added up to Durant’s efforts with 13 and 12 points respectively, Damian Lillard added 11 and Zach LaVine had 10.
On the other end of the court, Ricky Rubio stunned the US with his 38-point performance, a new all-time Olympic record for points in a single game by any Spanish player, and also a new best for any player against the USA. Still, it wasn’t enough to help the 2019 World Cup champions pull through to the Olympic semis.
Sergio Rodriguez added 16 points for the Spanish selection and Willy Hernangomez posted 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Earlier in the day, Slovenia overcame Germany to advance to the semifinals.
Photo: FIBA