Kevin Durant Makes History as US Men’s Basketball Takes Lead Over Czech Republic originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Kevin Durant hit a shot that not only gave the U.S. its first lead of the game but also made Olympic history.
Durant is now the United States men’s basketball team’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Carmelo Anthony and his previous record of 336 points.
Durant’s record-breaking bucket came on a pull-up 3 with 6:19 remaining in the half that gave the U.S. a 34-33 lead. Durant followed with another 3 on the following possession as he begins to put some distance between himself and Melo.
Jrue Holiday’s basket in transition capped a 10-0 run that increased the U.S. lead to 39-33.
Durant had eight points in the second, including a fadeaway late in the quarter for a 47-40 lead. Blake Schilb, who had 14 first-half points, followed with his fourth 3 of the half just before the buzzer as Czech Republic went into the half trailing just 47-43.
Czech Jumps Out to 10-Point Lead on Team USA in First Quarter
Not exactly the start that Team USA was looking for as the Czech Republic ends the first quarter with a 25-18 lead.
The U.S. was forced to take a timeout just 1:52 into the game after the Czech Republic opened the game on a 9-2 run, hitting each of its first four shots.
Consecutive threes by Blake Schilb gave the Czech Republic a 17-7 lead over the U.S., which made just 3 of its first 10 shot attempts.
Team USA began chipping away as Zach LaVine hit a leaner from 3 while trying to draw contact with the shot clock expiring to make it 21-15. Damian Lillard then followed with a 3 to make it a one-possession game.
But the hot shooting continued for Czech Republic, which shot 65 percent, going 3 of 5 from deep. The U.S. shot just 35 percent in the opening quarter.
Kevin Durant entered Saturday’s game needing six points to surpass Carmelo Anthony and his record of 336 points as the U.S. Men’s Basketball all-time leading scorer. Durant hit an early pull-up 3 and soon followed with a midrange jumper to tie Anthony.
U.S. Looks to Close Pool Play With Victory, Kevin Durant Chases History
After a rough start in Tokyo, the U.S. men’s basketball team is hoping to end the preliminary round on a strong note.
After a dominant victory over Iran and a 7-point loss against France, the United States is hoping to break the .500 mark in the final game of pool play.
A win would all but secure their place in the knockout stage, where eight of the top-12 teams advance. The only question in that scenario is seeding. A loss, however, would put that status in jeopardy, with a path forward still open.
While the Czech Republic — which has just one NBA player in the Chicago Bulls’ Tomas Satoransky — beat Iran by six points, they then lost to France by 20.
To watch Team USA try to bolster their position, viewers can stream the game on Saturday, July 31 at 8 a.m. ET.
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