Olympic Basketball 2016: Wednesday Results, Scores, Highlights and Reaction

A day after the women contested the quarterfinals at the Rio Games, the men commenced their knockout phase with the quarterfinals of their tournament. 

Below, we'll break down the day's scores and recap all the action from a full day of basketball at the Olympics.

Scores

Recap

United States Beats Argentina, 105-78

Kevin Durant has awoken.

The United States superstar answered any questions about his performances in Rio with a monster 27-point, seven-rebound, seven-assist performance against Argentina as the Americans rolled, 105-78.

Paul George (17 points, nine rebounds) and DeMarcus Cousins (15 points, two blocks) also had strong games for the United States. Luis Scola (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Manu Ginobili (14 points, six assists) led Argentina.

But the story was Durant, who was called out in the lightest terms possible by United States coach Mike Krzyzewski before Wednesday's game.

“Sometimes, when you’re in a new environment, you have to figure out where your thing is," Krzyzewski told Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. "It’s called getting accustomed to your teammates. I think he is. He had a really good practice (Tuesday). We obviously need him to be the Kevin Durant of Istanbul and London. We’re hoping the medal round brings that out.”

The quarterfinals certainly did the trick. Durant and the Team USA defense were simply too much for Argentina to handle, as Chris Mannix of The Vertical noted:

The United States next opponent, Spain, won't be too small. They may not be too old, either. But if Durant plays like he did on Wednesday, they'll be in trouble regardless. 

The United States has struggled to find an identity in these Games thus far. While it hasn't stopped them from going undefeated, it's kept things interesting. But if the team's identity in the next two games becomes a Durant-led offense and a stifling defense, it's hard to imagine them failing to win gold.

Spain Beats France, 92-67

Spain is slumping no more.

The Spaniards absolutely thrashed France, 92-67, advancing to the semifinals and setting them up for a showdown with the United States.

Nikola Mirotic paced the Spaniards with 23 points, five rebounds and two steals, while Willy Hernangomez added 16 points and five rebounds. Nate Duncan was very impressed with Mirotic's showing:

Pau Gasol wasn't much of a scoring threat, posting just five points, but he added eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

That made Spain's win all the more impressive, and their showdown with the United States all the more appealing, as Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report noted:

Tony Parker (14 points, four assists) and Nando De Colo (13 points) led the way for France. Nicolas Batum was held scoreless. 

Spain was considered the top contender to the United States for gold in Rio, though they lost some of their shine after losing their first two games in group play. But they've since won five in a row, including blowout wins over Lithuania, Argentina and now France. 

Few teams have the depth of NBA talent that Spain possesses, so they should earn at least a medal now that they've advanced to the semifinals. But beating the United State may be too tall a task, even if the Americans haven't looked dominant at this tournament. 

Australia Beats Lithuania, 90-64

Australia romped their way to the semifinals Wednesday, easily dismissing Lithuania 90-64.

Patty Mills continued his excellent tournament, scoring 24 points, while Aron Baynes added 16 points and five rebounds and Matthew Dellavedova chipped in 15 points and three assists. 

Australia started strong and never looked back, outscoring Lithuania in each of the first three quarters. The team shot 52.4 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc (10-of-25) and turned the ball over just nine times. The Australians continued to look like the tournament's best chance at knocking off the United States.

Lithuania never really mounted a challenge. Mantas Kalnietis (12 points, five assists) and Antanas Kavaliauskas (12 points) led the way for their country, though the team was clearly overmatched.

Matt Moore of CBS Sports noticed as much: 

Australia, taking the LIT out of Lithuania.

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) August 17, 2016

Indeed, it was evident quickly that Lithuania wouldn't have any answers for Australia, as Dan Devine of Ball Don't Lie noted:

Australia's size inside gives them a solid chance at the gold, along with the backcourt play of Mills and Dellavedova. Andrew Bogut didn't have a huge statistical day, but his six points, seven rebounds and six assists were a reminder of his importance to the team.

Few teams have shown the blend of chemistry and talent that Australia have displayed. Coming into the tournament, Spain appeared to be the main threat to the Americans. Australia have appeared to take their place in Rio.

Serbia beats Croatia, 86-83

Heading into the fourth quarter, Serbia looked to have Wednesday's last quarterfinal in hand up 14 points. 

But a spirited effort in the final 10 minutes, which included a 9-0 run, fell just short in an 86-83 decision despite drawing within one point on multiple occasions.

It was a battle of the Bogdanovic's as Croatia and Serbia's leading scorers shared a last name. Croatia's Bojan led all scorers with 28 points while Croatia's Bogdan led his team with 18.

Wednesday night's game was dominated by the free throw line as both teams combined for 63 attempts on the night, though those numbers were padded in the final minute as both teams were fouling. Croatia was attempting to eliminate a three-point deficit while Serbia was preventing them from attempting a tying three ball.

Serbia's next test will to take on an Australian team that is flying high after disposing of Lithuania.  

This was a closely contested matchup for the first two quarters that actually saw Croatia leading by six heading into halftime. 

But a monster third quarter saw Serbia outscore its opponents 34-14 to create a 66-52 lead going into the fourth.

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