Paris 2024: Joel Embiid stars early as U.S. rout Brazil to make Olympic semis
The American center’s comfort level in dealing with adversity mirrored that of the rest of his teammates Tuesday as Team USA put on a clinic in a 122-87 quarterfinal victory over Brazil.
The U.S. is now two wins from a fifth consecutive gold medal and is set up for another meeting with Serbia in the semifinals on Thursday.
Kevin Durant added 11 points for Team USA, passing legend Lisa Leslie for the most points in American Olympic history.
The U.S. needed some production from Embiid against a Brazil team with a strong front line. He was dominant right from the start, cleaning the glass effectively and showing off his classic mix of interior and perimeter scoring.
In 12 devastating minutes of work in the first half, Embiid put in 14 points with seven rebounds. Brazil was helpless in dealing with him as he made 5 of 6 shots, including two 3-pointers. The boos from the fans ebbed, which only seemed to encourage Embiid to ask for more of them.
Embiid did have a minor ankle turn, and he sat the second half as a precaution.
With Tuesday’s 35-point victory, Team USA has won each of its first four games here by at least 15 points, marking the first time a U.S. men’s team has done so since the 2008 Redeem Team, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Durant, who entered the game five points behind Leslie as the U.S. Olympic scoring leader, finished the day with 494 points for his career.
“Records are meant to be broken, so somebody will come along and do the same to me,” Durant said. “My focus is on trying to win this gold.”
Source: ESPN
