RIO DE JANEIRO – Spain will leave another Olympics without a gold medal in men’s basketball, and the improving U.S. is in great shape to win gold again.
Klay Thompson scored 22 points and Kevin Durant had 14 points as the U.S. defeated Spain 82-76 Friday in the semifinals.
The Americans can win their third consecutive gold and extend their eight-year dominance in international basketball with a victory Sunday against the winner of the second semifinal between Australia-Serbia later Friday.
It was the USA’s 52nd consecutive victory in a major international event and 24th consecutive Olympic victory.
Spain has established itself as the world’s second-best team with silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics. But it can’t beat the U.S.
With U.S. looking susceptible to a loss in the group play, this shaped up as a winnable game for Spain and perhaps its best chance to beat the U.S.
Spain played the U.S. close. It was 36-32 U.S. in the second quarter and 53-48 U.S. in the third. But Spain never posed a serious threat as it did in the 2008 and 2012.
Spain trailed 66-57 at the start of the fourth quarter, and the U.S. built a 72-57 lead with 7:28 left in the game.
The U.S., which has struggled at times defensively in Rio, tightened its defense in the quarterfinals against France and was even better against Spain.
Spain shot just 39% from the field, and U.S. center DeAndre Jordan was the definition of a rim protector with four blocked shots and 16 rebounds. He also scored nine points.
With so much focus on the USA’s defensive issues, its offense has multiple scoring options, making it difficult for opponents to get enough stops.
Pau Gasol scored 23 points for Spain.
