Three down, three to go. The U.S. men's basketball team took about a quarter and a half to find fifth gear on Saturday, but once it did, it lit up Stade Pierre-Mauroy, leaving Puerto Rico in the rearview in a 104-83 win to cap off a perfect run through group play.
Anthony Edwards had the sort of coming-out party many hoped for him at these Games, scoring a game-high 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting — including an absolutely righteous windmill in the second half that served as the exclamation point.
The U.S. had already punched its ticket to the quarterfinals next week, but this win ensures that it will place among the top two overall, a potentially significant development when it comes to the knockout bracket. Here's everything else you need to know from a third straight blowout win.
U.S. 104, Puerto Rico 83: Full recap and key takeaways
Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum both start
After sitting Joel Embiid against South Sudan, head coach Steve Kerr reassured everyone that it was simply a matchup play, that Embiid was feeling fine and would be a big part of the team moving forward. He stuck to his word in this one, reinserting Embiid back into the starting five along with Steph Curry, Devin Booker, LeBron James and Jayson Tatum.
A slow start and some sluggish defense
Credit to Puerto Rico: The U.S. did not come fully dialed in, and Jose Alvarado and Co. made them pay. The first quarter was a tidy illustration of the funk that can befall Team USA at times, going through the motions a bit on both ends — meandering into jumpers on offense, not closing out with force on defense. Puerto Rico, meanwhile, had its foot on the gas, running at every opportunity and shooting 4-of-6 from deep en route to a surprising 29-25 lead after one quarter.
“We can always get off to a better start, but teams are very excited to go against us," James said. "It’s not a fill out, but we could do a better job starting the games. Giving up 30 in the first quarter today, we didn’t like that. We got better from that moment on, though.”
"Got better" is an understatement.
LeBron James, Devin Booker put things away
The U.S. bench got the lead back early in the second, Edwards and Kevin Durant (11 points, four rebounds, three assists) adding some oomph in the half-court. And then the starting five checked back in and essentially decided to call game.
Alvarado hit a 3 to cut the American lead to 46-43 at the 3:28 mark of the second quarter. From there, the U.S. scored 14 unanswered as part of an 18-2 run to close the half, 11 of which came from James (10 points, eight assists, six rebounds) and Booker.
As it always seems to for this team, the difference came on defense; Puerto Rico didn't take a single shot from inside the arc in that stretch, going 0-for-7 from deep with many of those looks coming late in the shot clock. (PR would finish at 40% from the field for the game and just 27% from deep.)
"Our connectivity on the defensive end shows our chemistry, shows our togetherness as a group," Durant said. "And then offensively, you make shots, you miss shots, some of the great teams miss shots but if you lock in on defense, that usually tells you what type of a team you've got."
Those misses led to runouts and scrambled defenses, and James and Co. took full advantage.
From there, it was mostly a matter of what the final score would be — but that didn't stop Edwards from putting on a show.
Hello, Anthony Edwards
Coming off a supernova season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Edwards was pegged by many as the breakout star of the men's basketball tournament in Paris — the jolt of youth, athleticism and brash swagger that the elder statesman U.S. team might need. He was all that and then some against Puerto Rico, especially in the second half: Edwards checked back in at the 4:38 mark of the third quarter and almost immediately ripped off an 11-0 run, including multiple 3s and the breakaway dunk above.
"It was incredible to watch him go to work tonight — knock down shots, get to the rim that easily, just play his game," Durant said of his teammate. "He had fun tonight, he ignited the whole crowd, he ignited the team."
For all the talent this U.S. roster possesses, they don't have another athlete like Edwards, no one with his explosive off-the-bounce game. If this is the performance that gets him going, it came at the perfect time.
What's next for the U.S. men's basketball team?
The U.S. already had its quarterfinal spot wrapped up. This win, however, gives them the No. 1 overall seed, which could provide an easier path to the gold medal game: The top two teams land in their own pot for the bracket draw, meaning that the U.S. and Germany will be put on opposite sides. We won't know exactly how the bracket shakes out, and who the U.S. will meet in the quarters, until the draw is revealed.