Basketball

France shocks Team USA in men's basketball group play

July 26, 2021 7:41 am

Moustapha Fall #93 of Team France dunks the ball over JaVale McGee #11 of Team United States during the second half of the Men's Preliminary Round Group B game on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Saitama Super Arena [Source: Olympics/Twitter]

It’s uphill from here for the Team USA men’s basketball team.

The Americans – favourited to win a fourth consecutive gold in this event – were shocked by seventh-ranked France 83-76 in group play on Sunday (25 July) at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

It’s the first loss for the U.S. men at the Olympics since Athens 2004 – snapping a streak of 25 consecutive wins.

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The French trailed by eight points at halftime, but rallied to lead by six ahead of the fourth period and then held off an American surge to seal the win.

Evan Fournier led France with 28 points, while Jrue Holiday scored 18 for Team USA.

U.S. star Kevin Durant sat out for much of the third quarter with four fouls, France outscoring the U.S. 25-11 in that stanza. Durant scored 10 points in 20 minutes played for the game.

The teams next play on Monday, with the U.S. facing Iran and France taking on Czech Republic.