Team USA Closes Group Play Strong Against Argentina

Thanks in large part to a dominating third quarter, the United States’ men’s basketball team pulled away from Argentina, winning 126-97.

Durant then caught fire from 3-point range, helping the United States crush Argentina’s upset bid. Durant made 5-of-6 3-pointers in the quarter. He finished the game as the United States’ leading scorer with 28 points, including 17 in the third quarter.

In the immediate aftermath of the Olympic Women’s Badminton scandal that saw eight participants disqualified for trying to throw their final pool play matches in order to secure more favorable matchups in the knockout stage, we discussed a nightmare scenario that could play out in men’s basketball. As it happens, that perfect storm for tanking has formed once again.

Unbeaten Russia has clinched first place in Group B, so when Brazil and Spain meet in their final pool play game Monday, it will determine second and third place, with the winner finishing second and the loser third -- they are locked into those two spots and cannot rise to first nor fall to fourth, regardless of the outcomes of the other games. The ostensible advantage of finishing second in the pool is to avoid the second seed from Group A in the quarterfinals. However, there’s no appreciable difference between France (the likely second seed from Group A) and Argentina (the likely third seed).