With the group stage run and done, it’s time for the quarter-finals to get under way in the battle for Olympic Gold in the men’s basketball. Fortunately for Golden State Warriors fans, at least one player will be making it through to the semis.
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A 104-83 victory over Puerto Rico on Saturday ensured Stephen Curry and Team USA topped Group C, with the 2x MVP now set to face a familiar opponent in Warriors teammate Gui Santos.
Golden State Warriors pair Stephen Curry and Gui Santos will battle on Tuesday with a spot in the Olympic semi-finals on the line
Santos and Brazil lost their first two games against Germany and France, yet their 18-point win over Japan on Friday was enough to see them finish alongside Greece as the two third-placed teams to advance to the quarter-finals.
The winner of Tuesday’s game will meet the winner of Serbia and Australia, while the other side of the draw sees Germany take on the Giannis Antetokounmpo led Greece, and hosts France take on Canada.
While Curry and Santos haven’t yet delivered what they would like to at these Olympics, both are set for prominent roles in what now becomes elimination games from here on out. The 2x NBA MVP was better but not outstanding against Puerto Rico, finishing with eight points on 3-of-8 shooting after a poor performance against South Sudan where he recorded just three points on 1-of-9 shooting.
Santos came off the bench in Brazil’s opening two games, yet won himself a starting role against Japan where the 22-year-old played a team-high 34 minutes. The Golden State forward took only five shot attempts for the game, finishing with five points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block during the 102-84 win.
Santos is the only current NBA player on the Brazil roster, but they do have a number of former players including Bruno Caboclo who went for a massive 33-point, 17-rebound performance against Japan.
The Warriors will also be represented by the presence of Steve Kerr as head coach of Team USA, with his team overwhelming favorites to advance in a matchup that’s set to get underway at 12:30 PM PT on Tuesday.
