Kevin Durant and USA Basketball Team Moves to Rio 2016 Olympics Semifinals vs Spain; Game Preview, Schedule, TV Info and Live Stream
All Rio Games 2016 basketball predictions came into a loop after Team USA scored a 105-78 win over Argentina on Wednesday. Kevin Durant's squad is now en route to take on powerhouse Spain in the semis round this coming Friday, August 19.
History repeating itself
It seems that USA versus Spain in men's basketball is a history repeating itself. The NBA player-studded Spain met USA in 2008 and 2012 London Games during the gold medal round. The only difference in this 2016 Olympic edition is the outcome of the game. The loser by default would gain the bronze with no options to fight a rematch to gain the gold title.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Quarterfinals: USA vs Argentina
Wednesday's prelude saw Argentina's point guard Facundo Campazzo. He started the assault with multiple cross overs and penetration. Other cornerstones Manu Ginobili and Luis Scola also took advantage of USA's slow start by bombarding from the perimeter.
The game pressed on with Durant leading the Americans from the consistent double figure lead by Argentina on the opening. KD sank 7 off the arc from 9 attempts to finish with 27 points. Durant also pegged an impressive nine baskets out of thirteen tries. He then capped another stellar performance with both sevens in rebounds and assists.
Quarterfinals: Spain vs France
Meanwhile, Spain is also coming fresh from a 92-67 win against France. Nicola Mirotic's 23 points led Spain's successful quarterfinals. Mirotic also translated 16 baskets during the second half to give France a huge headache. The French resulted to Tony Parker for redemption, but failed with his 14 points and a low 4 of 9 shooting.
Spain has several guns in their arsenal to challenge the NBA-studded team USA. Primary point man to rely on for the team is Chicago Bulls' Mirotic for the Friday clash.
Then other threats from NBA All-star Pau Gasol, Minnesota Timberwolves' Ricky Rubio, point guard Jose Calderon of Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks' Willy Hernangomez.
If this roster can perform well, team USA might be in the same train during the London Games when Spain managed to ride a close gap to the end with just 107-100 win for the Americans.
According to Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski, they are not taking Team Spain lightly because of their long history of rivalry. Krzyzewski also said that they have high respect for Spain and will do their best to avoid getting caught flat-footed.
TV schedule and live streaming
Basketball fans can catch the match on Friday, August 19 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. TV coverage is provided by TeleMundo and USA Network while the live streaming is available at NBCOlympics.com.
