Basketball

U.S. to face Brazil in basketball men's quarters

August 4, 2024 12:15 pm

[Source: Reuters]

Reigning Olympic champions the United States will face Brazil in the quarter-finals of the Olympic men’s basketball tournament after beating Puerto Rico 104-83 in Lille to seal top spot in Group C with three wins out of three.

Hosts France will face Canada in the last eight, while Serbia take on Australia and Germany meet Greece.

Puerto Rico took a surprise first-quarter lead over the mighty U.S., but the Americans rallied quickly to regain control of the contest, with Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards leading the way with 26 points.

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Joel Embiid added 15 points, with Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Anthony Davis also reaching double figures.

Debutants South Sudan were knocked out after losing 96-85 to Serbia in the final round of group matches, despite Marial Shakoy and Carlik Jones scoring a combined 34 points for the African team.

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored a game-leading 30 points for Serbia, with Nikola Jokic adding 22 points and 13 rebounds.

“My boys put their hearts and soul in the game. What a travesty. That’s all I have to say,” said South Sudan coach Royal Ivey.

On the women’s side, Spain secured top spot in Group A after a 70-62 win over Serbia, helped by the return from injury of Maria Conde, who scored 15 points.

Serbia are also into the quarter-finals after finishing as group runners-up, while China claimed their first win of the tournament and third place in the group with an 80-58 victory over eliminated Puerto Rico.