The U.S. men’s basketball team won its fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal in Tokyo on Saturday, beating France 87-82.
The big picture: The U.S. men’s basketball team is the most dominant team in Olympic history, medaling in every Olympics it has competed in, with 16 golds, a silver and two bronzes.
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Team USA’s gold medal run did not come easy after the U.S. team got off to a rocky start, losing to France, which includes NBA stars Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier and Nicolas Batum, in its opener.
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The U.S. team then rebounded, beating Iran, the Czech Republic, Spain and Australia.
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And the U.S. found France plenty tough in its rematch as well. Kevin Durant had 21 of Team USA’s 44 first half points, but repeated fouls by the American squad allowed France to keep it close, trailing by just five at halftime.
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The second half remained close as well, with the U.S. lead stretching into double digits at times, but the game never getting out of hand.
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France cut the lead to just three points with 10 second to go — its closest point of the second half, but the U.S. Durant was fouled and hit both free throws to seal the deal, finishing with 29 points to lead all scorers.
Worth noting: Saturday’s win marks Durant’s third gold medal, tying Carmelo Anthony’s record.
What’s next: The U.S. women’s basketball team will aim for their seventh straight gold medal on Sunday, taking on host Japan, which upset France to reach the gold medal game.
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