Team USA is onto the semifinals of the Olympics after their win over Brazil on Tuesday. Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White all earned playing time in the win. Now, they will move on to play Nikola Jokic and Serbia in the semifinals.
Earlier in the day, Victor Wembanyama helped France take down Canada in an upset win that knocked the red and white out of the tournament. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played well, but Jamal Murray’s struggles off the pine contributed to their inability to bring home a win.
Jayson Tatum says Team USA learned from Canada losing to France
Canada was viewed as a real threat to beat Team USA, but in a flash, they were bounced. After their own win over Brazil, Tatum said that he and the rest of the team learned from what happened to Canada.
“You’ve got one game, and a lot of [expletive] can happen in one game, especially over here,” Tatum said via Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “So I think it was important for us to get a good start, and we took notice of what happened in the games earlier.”
Tatum ended the contest with just five points on 1-of-5 shooting from the floor, but the rest of the team was on fire. Devin Booker led the way with 18 points, shooting a blazing-hot 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Anthony Edwards also chipped in with 17 points, though many of them were scored when the game was already decided.
In the blink of an eye, Canada went from one of the strongest teams in the tournament to getting sent home. All it takes it one slow night to end a run, and the USA took note of that.
Just because they are the heavy favorites to win gold doesn’t mean they are allowed to walk through the tournament. Led by Booker, Edwards, and a historical performance by Durant, who broke the all-time men’s and women’s Team USA scoring record, USA stepped on the gas.
Now, with a matchup against a three-time MVP staring them in the face, Team USA cannot afford to skip any steps. Whether it’s LeBron James or a bounce-back game from Tatum, USA’s game vs. Serbia can’t be taken lightly.
