Basketball has been a sport that has really grown internationally over the years, especially in Europe. Although the Americans traditionally dominate the sport in the Olympic Games, they do not have an easy path to the gold medal by any means. 

This year, many star NBA players opted not to participate in the Olympics, including LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Chris Paul, and  Dwyane Wade. 

Countries like Serbia who made it to the finals brought the best out of the Americans, but in the end, it's still America's sport, even without top tier players. The USA defeated Serbia in the gold medal match by a final score of 96-66 on Sunday. Kevin Durant led the way for Team USA, scoring 30 points and hit five treys. 

The U.S. departs Rio finishing 8-0, taking home their third straight gold medal. Carmelo Anthony is the only member of the team who has been a member of the last three American teams and leaves Rio as Team USA's all-time leading scorer. Anthony stated after the game these Olympic games would be his last. Team USA is now 138-5 all-time in Olympic play and has not lost since 2004. 

Tight game in the first quarter, but Team USA prevails in the second

When the two teams faced off in the preliminary round, Serbia battled the entire game and only lost by three points. Serbia outscored the Americans in the second half 50-44. 

To begin this one, it looked like Serbia was going to fight hard again against the United States. The Serbians did a tremendous job defensively, limiting the Americans to 19 points. Following a late three by Kevin Durant, USA held on to a 19-15 lead after a quarter. 

Milan Macvan led Serbia with five points after a quarter. Durant led the U.S. with six. 

However, one quarter is all the Serbians could last. Team USA came out firing in the second half, led by Kevin Durant. The 2013-2014 NBA MVP drained four of his five three-pointers in the quarter, scoring an absurd 18 points. His new Golden State Warriors teammate Klay Thompson also drained a three. Thompson finished with 12 points on the day in nine minutes. 

Kevin Durant celebrates after USA defeated Serbia in men's basketball by a final score of 96-66. (Photo: Elsa/Getty Images South America)
Kevin Durant celebrates after USA defeated Serbia in men's basketball by a final score of 96-66. (Photo: Elsa/Getty Images South America)

Overall, the Americans outscored Serbia 33-14 in the second quarter of action. They entered the locker room with a commanding 52-29 lead. Durant led all scorers with 24 points, while DeMarcus Cousins had 11 points and 12 boards. 

Americans hang on to win gold

The U.S. looked like they were on their way to a blowout victory after a sensational second quarter, and they kept up the stellar play in third. They outscored Serbia 27-14 in the quarter. By this point, the score was 79-43, and all hope was lost for the Serbians. 

Serbia actually outscored the Americans 23-17 in the final quarter of the Olympics, but it was nowhere near enough to make up for their dismal second and third quarters. 

Every player on the American roster scored a point, while 12 of the 13 Serbia players had a point. Cousins finished with a game-high 15 rebounds.

Kyrie Irving also joined some elite company after the win, as he is now one of four players to win an Olympic gold medal and NBA championship in the same season. The other three are LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen.  

On the other side, Serbia takes home a silver, a huge accomplishment for the country. It was a terrific Olympic games for them, and will look to evolve the sport even more in their country. 

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About the author
Oliver P. Gold
A Providence, Rhode Island based sports journalist and blogger with expertise in baseball and basketball. Includes MLB, NBA and NCAA College Basketball. New England sports fan of Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics and Providence Friars.