Team USA pulled out all the stops to make a gutsy comeback against Serbia on Thursday, allowing them to contend for the Olympic gold medal for the fifth consecutive time. Kevin Durant is nothing if not thrilled about it.
The Americans overcame a 17-point Serbia lead, tightening their defense and going red-hot on offense to take the game and reach the finals, 95-91.
USA Basketball’s X account shared a video of Durant celebrating with his mother Wanda, with the caption, “A night we’ll never forget.” In the clip, he was ecstatic about Team USA’s comeback win over Serbia.
“How can you not celebrate a win like that? Look at all [our] families. Look at this. You know what I’m saying? Like, that’s what it’s about…We all come together as one on the other side of the world like this.” Durant said with his mother seated beside him.
KD further said it was an unforgettable night, seeing the team unite and be more determined than ever to mount the turnabout.
“Everybody here, they’ll never forget about this night. Everybody here will remember this night for the rest of their lives,” The Phoenix Sun star said. “That’s how special it is here. And because we came back and we showed how together we were in that fourth quarter.”
Team USA’s comeback win over Serbia was so remarkable, according to Durant, that he had to celebrate it.
“I’m not going to act like it’s not, you know what I mean? I know we want to win the gold, but we got to celebrate the small moments, too.”
Kevin Durant, Team USA fought tooth-and-nail vs Serbia in semifinal game
Serbia led with as many as 17 points, but Team USA caught up and eventually gained the upper hand. The Americans kept strong in the game’s final five minutes to secure the chance to play for the gold medal.
Kevin Durant proved to be a reliable weapon off the bench for Team USA, contributing nine points and three rebounds in his 24 minutes on the floor. He had modest stats, but he scored them when it mattered most, hitting consecutive three-pointers early in the fourth quarter along with his Suns teammate Devin Booker to begin the counterattack.
Steph Curry exploded with a total of 36 points, while LeBron James made history by recording the fourth-ever triple-double in Olympic basketball, scoring 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Meanwhile, Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic led his team in scoring with 20 points while also contributing four rebounds and three assists. Nikola Jokic recorded a double-double with 17 points from 7-of-17 shooting and 11 assists, while also collecting five rebounds.
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