Kevin Durant scored 29 points on 10-17 shooting as he helped the United States pull away from Spain in the second half of the Olympic quarterfinals on Tuesday. The US won 95-81 and will face the winner of Australia vs Argentina. Former Syracuse star Jerami Grant played just one minute and did not accumulate any stats.
It was a back and forth game throughout much of the first half, and was tied at 43 entering intermission. To open the third quarter, Kevin Durant got hot from the outside with three three-pointers to help spark a 24-9 run that put the Americans in complete control. While Spain would end the third on a 7-0 run and score the first basket of the fourth quarter that trimmed the lead to four, the United States responded with a 12-1 run to put the game away.
Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard sparked the fourth quarter run. Tatum scored seven points while Lillard added five during the spurt.
The United States shot 48% from the floor while Spain shot 45%. The Americans had a significant advantage from beyond the arc making 13 of 32 (40.6%) attempts compared to just 7-23 (30.4%) shooting for Spain. Spain did outrebound the United States 42-32, but the Americans forced 17 Spanish turnovers. The US also had 28 assists 36 made baskets compared to just 12 assists on 29 field goals for Spain.
Ricky Rubio paced Spain with a game high 38 points on 13-20 shooting. Jayson Tatum scored 13 off the bench for the United States, while Damian Lillard had 11 and Jrue Holiday added 12. Devin Booker had a strong all-around game with nine points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.