Team USA moves on to the semifinals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after they defeated a strong Spain side. Team USA struggled as the game started, with the Spain team being extremely solid defensively. Before the end of the first half, the Spain team registered five blocks on the US, before the latter rallied and made a run to tie the game at halftime.
In the second half, Kevin Durant came out firing, as he led Team USA to a 95-81 win. Durant was incredible, scoring 29 points as he secured the win. Players like Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum also supplied scoring for the team when they needed it. Despite Team USA’s big win, this game will be remembered for the performance of Minnesota Timberwolves and Spain guard Ricky Rubio. Rubio put up an incredible 38 points against Team USA, scoring almost half of their points. Rubio set the record for the most points by an individual scorer against Team USA.
Kevin Durant tonight:
29 Points
58% FG
4/7 3PM
5/5 FTM
31 Minutes
Team USA beats Spain. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/A9fT9AJeWy
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) August 3, 2021
Thankfully, Team USA has The Best Player on the Planet: Kevin Durant. On to the semis and Patty Mills' Australia.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 3, 2021
Tatum needs more minutes. Him and KD best on the team 🤷🏽♂️☘️ #nba #TeamUSA
— 𝘼𝘿𝙄 ✍️☘️ (@AdiDontMiss) August 3, 2021
Team USA holds on. Thank god they heated up from 3. Good job KD. Spain too many open lanes given to them and Rubio had no help. But 38 is amazing. It sucks they won't get to challenge for a medal here. Gasols got benched cause they're too slow for small ball.
— Kaley (@yang_bo_dudnik) August 3, 2021
https://twitter.com/FaithNiners/status/1422443320098230275
Great win for #TeamUSA, but Vince Carter calling Ricky Rubio an ‘offensive juggernaut’ is my main takeaway #TokyoRubio https://t.co/aSUJo1zvUe
— Eliav Gabay (@eliavgabay) August 3, 2021
USA 95 Spain 81 final. Hard to believe that Spain team won’t medal.
— Don Harris (@DonHarris4) August 3, 2021
Quality win by Team USA. Durant came out the second half on 🔥 and Tatum and Dame did enough! Also shoutout to Rubio for his monster game. #Tokyo2020
— Frieza’s Burner (@King_Cold_Son) August 3, 2021
https://twitter.com/BrocSaegerNBA/status/1422443294848524294
It’s almost as if Coach Pop is a good coach 😤 #gospursgo #TeamUSA @usabasketball
— Polka Dot Pancho 🍓 (@fjsosa3) August 3, 2021
Fans noticed how well Team USA rebounded, but also gave props to the great performance from Spain and Ricky Rubio. There were universal props for the way Durant played, but some fans also wanted to send a message for the next game. Many fans online are clamoring for Celtics forward Jayson Tatum to get more minutes, as he performed well once again to help secure the win.
While Team USA is moving on to the semifinals, many fans acknowledge how lucky they were to get past Spain in this quarterfinal game. For the first part of the game, Spain was dominating them on the defensive end and getting their way on the offensive end. It took adjustments from head coach Gregg Popovich in order to get past a resolute defensive team. It seems that Team USA continues to struggle against teams that have an astute defensive game plan against them. This could spell doom for them as they go into their semifinal game.
