By Aris Barkas / barkas@eurohoops.net
PARIS, France – Brazil was not expected to be a problem for the USA and that was proven beyond any doubt.
The last Quarterfinal game was a one-sided affair with the gold medal contenders strolling to the final 87-122.
Once more Joel Embiid was booed by the French crowd, which cheered for the USA, and finished the night with 14 points.
Devin Booker had 18, Anthony Edwards 17 and LeBron James 12 points and nine assists, leading a balanced effort.
For the other side, Bruno Caboclo had 30 points, and 41-year-old Marcelinho Huertas added nine in what may be his last game with the Brazilian national team.
USA dominating early
After the first period, the score was 33-21 in favor of the US, and then thanks to a 7-0 run to start the second quarter, the lead extended to 19 points (40-21).
Devin Booker with nine points and Joel Embiid with eight were the top scorers of a balanced effort. The reaction came from Huertas who scored five points on a 10-0 run (40-31) to balance things out and the lead was trimmed even to eight points (42-34).
It was time for the USA to react with a 23-2 run (63-36) that closed the halftime and put the game early out of reach.
The lead grew to 28 points (69-41) at the start of the second half and the only question after that was the number of the final point-difference.