To no one’s surprise, Team USA finished group play undefeated and advanced to the Olympic quarterfinals and knockout round.
In this game, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards led the USA with 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting, resulting in a 104-83 win over Puerto Rico.
Edwards expressed his excitement to NBC’s Mike Tirico, saying it was an honor to receive passes from stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant, his childhood heroes.
“It’s been the best fun ever, man,” Edwards said. “It’s been incredible, a dream come true.”
Joel Embiid scored 15 points in his return to the starting lineup, while Durant added 11, and James, Anthony Davis, and Jayson Tatum each scored 10. Jrue Holiday missed the game due to a minor ankle injury.
New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado scored 18 for Puerto Rico, which did not win any games in group play and is now out of the Olympics.
Team USA might face Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece in the quarterfinals, depending on the outcomes of the remaining group stage games. As the No. 1 seed, Team USA will play the No. 8 seed in the knockout round.
“Their collective ball pressure, rim defense, and rebounding were too much for Puerto Rico to handle,” wrote ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “No one has handled it yet.”
