Team USA bagged the 2016 Rio Olympics Men’s Basketball gold medal after making short work of Serbia in the Final, while Spain broke Aussie hearts in their battle for the bronze.
*The following also appears on FIBA.com.
USA over SRB, 96-66
The USA won the Olympic Basketball Tournament for the third consecutive time by beating Serbia, 96-66, in Sunday's Gold Medal Game at Carioca Arena 1.
In a re-match of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup Final, the two-time reigning World and Olympic champions rode the outside shooting of Kevin Durant and the powerful inside play of DeMarcus Cousins to turn a 19-15 lead at the end of the first quarter into a commanding 52-29 halftime advantage.
Serbia were unable to mount any kind of comeback after the break but came away with their best result in the competition in 20 years.
It is the third gold medal in a row for the USA after they topped the podium in Beijing (2008) and London (2012), when they got the better of Spain on both of those occasions.
The game went back and forth in the first quarter, with five lead changes and four ties. Cousins and Durant accounted for the USA's last five points of the period and that proved a sign of things to come.
The pair combined for 26 points in the second quarter as the USA outscored Serbia 33-14. Cousins scored inside and at the free-throw line and had a double-double (11 points and 12 rebounds - 5 of them on the offensive end) at the break. Durant, meanwhile, hit four three-pointers for 18 points in the period alone and had 24 at the half.
Durant and Cousins set the tone for the USA and their team-mates were only too happy to follow their lead. Durant finished with 30 points while Cousins had 13 to go with 15 rebounds.
ESP over AUS, 89-88
Spain held off Australia, 89-88, in the Bronze Medal Game of the Olympic Basketball Tournament at Carioca Arena 1 on Sunday.
Sergio Rodriguez hit a pair of free-throws with 5.4 seconds to put the European champions in front 89-88 and the Boomers couldn't get a shot off as time ran out.
With the win, the Spaniards secured a third consecutive medal at the Olympics, after winning silver in 2008 and 2012. The Boomers meanwhile fell just short of taking their first-ever podium finish at the Games.
The teams went back and forth especially in the second half and there was little to separate them.
Spain led 23-17 at the end of the first quarter and stretched that to 40-28 with 4:12 left in the first half. However, Australia fought back and a 10-0 run got them within 40-38 at half-time.
Rodriguez hit a three-pointer to open the fourth quarter and put Spain up 70-64 but Australia scored the next six points, the last two of which came on Brock Motum's emphatic dunk over Pau Gasol with 8:34 left to play.
Gasol had a spectacular play of his own as he followed a missed Rodriguez lay-up and slammed it home with two hands to edge Spain back in front 83-82 with 1:51 remaining.
After Patty Mills and Rodriguez traded baskets, David Andersen hit a pair of free-throws for an 86-85 lead with 35.3 seconds to go, only for Gasol to make good on a pair of his own at the other end.
A broken Australia play resulted in Aron Baynes scoring inside for an 88-87 edge with 9.7 seconds but at the other end Mills was called for a foul on Rodriguez as he drove to the basket. The Spaniard hit both attempts from the charity stripe with 5.4 seconds, making it 89-88. After a timeout, Australia inbounded the ball but a deflection caused it to go into the backcourt and time expired.
Gasol and Mills were both heroes for their respective teams on the day, the former finishing with 31 points and 11 rebounds, while Mills had 30.
All images are from FIBA.
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