Team USA men’s basketball make Olympic final against France

The United States will face France in the Olympic final after a blowout win over Australia in the semifinals on Thursday. Despite early struggles during the Las Vegas scrimmage games and an 83-76 upset loss against the French team to open play, Team USA men’s basketball will play in the Tokyo Olympic final for its fourth consecutive gold medal.

The gold medal game between USA and France will be played on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. local time, which translates to Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET. This rematch of the first-round upset provides the United States with an opportunity at revenge and gold.

Preview

Team USA was led to the final by Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant during the tournament. The 6-foot-10 forward has led the team in scoring throughout the elimination rounds. However, he struggled in the first meeting against France Durant scored just 10 points before fouling out in 20 minutes of action.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has also been a standout player throughout the Olympics, arriving late after winning the NBA Finals. He was the lone bright spot in the opening night loss, scoring 18 points less than 24 hours after arriving in Tokyo on July 25.

France’s stars stepped up that night as recently-signed New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert combined for 42 points.

The French roster is one of the best in the world when it comes to total talent. Fournier has proven to be a great wing scorer in the NBA, Gobert is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, and Nicolas Batum is one of the best two-way veteran wings in the league.

In total, France has eight current or former NBA players. Compared to their competition in the tournament, they are one of the most experience and talented teams around.

In order to win, the United States will need to clean up the errors of the opening game and build on the recent success of the starting five. Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, who also joined late after playing in the NBA Finals, has provided a spark to the starting lineup with his floor spacing and ability to work off the ball.

Starting Lineups

United States

PG – Damian Lillard

SG – Jrue Holiday

SF – Devin Booker

PF – Kevin Durant

C – Bam Adebayo

France

PG – Nando de Colo

SG – Evan Fournier

SF – Nicolas Batum

PF – Guerschon Yabusele

C – Rudy Gobert

Image courtesy of Gregory Shamus/Getty Images