AP Photo/Eric Gay

Olympic Basketball 2021: Kevin Durant, Team USA Beat Spain to Advance to Semifinals

Tyler Conway

The semifinals of the men's basketball tournament are set at the 2021 Summer Olympics.

The United States will take on Australia in one semi, while France and Slovenia go head-to-head in the other. This year's final four is taking a far different shape than the one we're used to, with only the U.S. being a regular medalist among the group.

Here is a look at the quarterfinals results from Tuesday. 

United States 95, Spain 81

Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Jayson Tatum added 13 off the bench, allowing the United States to overcome a spectacular Ricky Rubio performance on their way to a 95-81 win over Spain on Tuesday.

Rubio finished with a game-high 38 points in perhaps the most spectacular performance we've ever seen from the NBA veteran. He slashed his way relentlessly into the paint, getting to the line eight times, and he knocked down four three-pointers as Team USA failed to contain him.

However, Rubio's heroics were not enough, as the remainder of Spain's roster proved unable to keep up. Sergio Rodriguez scored 16 off the bench, but Rubio's fellow starters combined for eight total points; players other than Rubio and Rodriguez shot a combined 10-of-34 from the floor.

While no one on the U.S. matched Durant's star-turning performance, their depth shined. Five players were in double figures, with Jrue Holiday (12 points), Damian Lillard (11) and Zach LaVine (10) joining Durant and Tatum. 

The United States has reached at least the semifinals in every Olympics since professionals were included in the Games, beginning in 1992.

France 84, Italy 75

Rudy Gobert scored 22 points and Evan Fournier dropped 21, leading France to an 84-75 win over Italy.

Nicolas Batum added a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double as France continues to look medal-bound for the first time since 2000. 

The French defense locked in and held Italy to just 32.4 percent from the field, including a 7-of-33 rate from beyond the arc. Simone Fontecchio had a game-high 23 points, Danilo Gallinari added 21 off the bench and Achille Polonara scored 15, but the remainder of the roster spent the quarters clanking shots off the rim.

France held Italy to just 29 points in the pivotal second and third quarters after trailing 25-20 at the end of one. 

Italy has not medalled in men's basketball since taking silver in 2004.

Slovenia 94, Germany 70

Luka Doncic nearly had a triple-double and Zoran Dragic scored a game-high 27 points, spearheading Slovenia's 94-70 rout of Germany.

Doncic finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists as he continues to prove himself as perhaps the best player on this international stage. Slovenia is now 17-0 in international play with Doncic in the lineup.

While that number is impressive on its own, it's worth noting that this is the first time Slovenia has ever played in an Olympic Games. The country failed to qualify in its first seven Olympic attempts after gaining independence from Yugoslavia.

Slovenia shot 54 percent from the field and knocked down 15 threes in the impressive effort. Mike Tobey had a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double to round out double-digit scorers.

Germany did not have a player with more than 11 points in a dispiriting effort.

Australia 97, Argentina 59

Patty Mills scored 18 points to lead five players in double figures, as Australia scored a 97-59 blowout of Argentina.

The Australians trailed by four after the first quarter before going on a two-way warpath the final three. Argentina shot just 33.8 percent from the floor, including an 8-of-30 mark from distance, 

By contrast, Australia whirred the ball around the perimeter on its way to 33 assists in what might have been the most impressive offensive performance of the tournament. Matisse Thybulle and Jock Landale added 12 points, with Joe Ingles coming through with 11 and Nick Kay rounding out double-digit scorers with 10. 

Australia will move on to play the United States in the semifinals. The country has never medalled at the Olympic Games in men's basketball.

   

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