Another team up another team down for Team USA as they trounced Australia 119-86 advancing them to the men’s basketball semifinals.
Flashing three fingers in the air after his third consecutive three-pointer in the fourth quarter, Bryant finished the game with 20 points and helped push the game out of reach in the late stages.
LeBron finished with a triple-double, 11 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for the Americans, who advanced to their third straight Olympic semifinal. They will now take on Argentina who knocked off Brazil earlier on Wednesday.
The United States ended up beating Argentina 126-97 in the final game of pool play Monday in what was supposed to be a much closer game. It was however a very chippy matchup as USA’s Carmelo Anthony took a cheap shot from the groin by Argentina’s Facundo Campazzo.
Things were tight though between the United States and Australia in the third quarter as the Aussies scored the first 11 points of the second half, cutting the Americans’ lead to three after back-to-back 3-pointers by Joe Ingles. After this though Kobe Bryant finally broke loose and helped the United States finally put Australia in the rear-view mirror.
For the Aussies, Patty Mills scored 26 points and Ingles had 19 in the losing effort. This was also mark the second straight Olympics that Australia would run into the United States in the quarterfinals.
Ref: Associated Press
