Men’s Olympic Basketball Match Report: Edwards Leads the U.S. to Victory Over Puerto Rico, Securing a Spot in the Quarterfinals

On August 3rd, in the group stage of the Paris Olympics men’s basketball competition, the United States faced off against Puerto Rico.

In the opening quarter, Tatum scored with a dunk, and Puerto Rico maintained a strong presence, even taking the lead. Alvarado hit a three-pointer, giving them a 12-6 advantage. Curry responded with a jump shot, followed by Booker scoring with a putback. Curry then added a three-pointer, while Reed completed a layup, stabilizing the situation. Embiid made a mid-range shot, leading to a back-and-forth exchange between both teams. Tatum performed a two-handed slam dunk, and Alvarado again nailed a three-pointer, as the U.S. experienced a dip in their shooting performance. Puerto Rico capitalized by hitting two consecutive three-pointers, taking a 25-17 lead. Edwards countered with a mid-range shot, followed by Adabaoy making a powerful dunk, and Edwards again scored with a jump shot. Claravelle then hit a three-pointer, and Edwards finished with a buzzer-beating layup, resulting in a score of 25-29 for the U.S. at the end of the first quarter.

During the second half, the U.S. launched a comeback. Adabaoy and Davis contributed points, and Durant nailed a three-pointer to take the lead. Alvarado kept the momentum steady with a layup, and Edwards also hit a three-pointer. Waters scored on a fast break, and Durant answered, leading to a seesaw of scores. Durant then added another three-pointer, allowing the U.S. to gain control. Puerto Rico managed to score four consecutive points, but Tatum made a layup, and Alvarado hit a mid-range shot. Curry then hit a three-pointer, with Embiid scoring with a one-on-one play, giving the U.S. a 53-43 lead. Subsequently, the U.S. surged ahead, with James completing a reverse dunk, Booker making a 2+1 play, and James performing another dunk. In the final minutes before halftime, the U.S. unleashed an 18-2 run, leading Puerto Rico 64-45 at halftime.

Upon returning from the break, both teams struggled with three-point shots, but Alvarado scored first with a layup. Booker made a layup, and James performed a reverse dunk. Embiid hit a three-pointer, and Alvarado immediately replied. Romero scored with a layup, keeping Puerto Rico close. Durant opened with a three-pointer, followed by Edwards hitting a three-pointer. Davis made a mid-range shot, increasing the U.S.’s lead to 83-54. Ortiz scored with a layup to counter, and Edwards made a mid-range shot, followed by a layup. Thompson nailed a last-second three-pointer, resulting in an 87-59 lead for the U.S. at the end of the third quarter.

In the final quarter, Ford scored with a three-pointer, Edwards made a highlight-reel dunk after a steal, and then completed a layup, maintaining the U.S.’s dominance. Howard hit a three-pointer, and Thompson scored with a layup. Edwards responded with a three-pointer, and Thompson hit another three-pointer. Davis performed a powerful slam dunk, bringing the score to 96-70. White completed a layup on a fast break, and the U.S. continued to control the game, making it clear that the match was out of reach.

Ultimately, the U.S. triumphed over Puerto Rico with a score of 104-83.

Player statistics:

Puerto Rico: Alvarado – 18 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal; Romero – 12 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists; Ford – 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals; Howard – 9 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists; Waters – 8 points, 1 rebound; Thompson – 8 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist; Reed – 4 points, 7 rebounds; Claravelle – 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists; Fourth Generation Condite – 4 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal; Baria – 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist; Ortiz – 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist;

The U.S.: Edwards – 26 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals; Embiid – 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists; Durant – 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal; James – 10 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists; Davis – 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists; Tatum – 10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals; Booker – 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists; Curry – 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal; Adabaoy – 3 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals; White – 2 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal; Harburton – 1 steal;

Player lineup:

U.S. starting lineup: Curry, Booker, James, Tatum, Embiid

Puerto Rico starting lineup: Alvarado, Waters, Fourth Generation Condite, Reed, Romero