With a 98-87 victory over France in the final game on Saturday, the US men’s basketball team once again won gold. And the best part for Phoenix Suns fans? Devin Booker and Kevin Durant were not only the starting players in the gold medal game, but also played an important role in closing the game.
Although Stephen Curry led the way with 24 points and eight 3-pointers in a late-game offensive salvo that thwarted France’s comeback attempt, Booker was the U.S. team’s best player in the first half and Durant helped maintain the Americans’ lead throughout the game.
Booker finished the night with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, making 6 of 10 shots and 2 of 5 three-pointers. He was the Americans’ leading scorer for three quarters and had a team-best score of +18 after 28 minutes.
Durant (aka Captain America) matched his Suns teammate with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, shooting 5-of-12 overall and 3-of-9 from three-point range. He was a +7 in his 31 minutes and really came into his own in the second half to give Team USA some breathing room before Curry took the lead late in the game.
LeBron James contributed 14 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds, while Anthony Davis and Anthony Edwards each contributed 8 points.
Durant is now the only man in Olympic basketball history to win four gold medals, while Booker has won gold medals twice. Let’s get to the game recap and gold medal winning highlights!
Recap of the US team’s gold medals and highlights for Devin Booker and Kevin Durant
The Suns’ two starters helped Team USA get off to a strong start: Devin Booker and Kevin Durant scored 10 of the Americans’ first 12 points and assisted on the other basket.
KD kicked things off with an assist to LeBron James on a dunk, followed by a Booker 3 and then a Booker assist for Durant’s first 3, which resulted from an impressive block by James at the basket:
Book then managed a fast break, but the best highlight of the first quarter was an absolutely brilliant pass from LeBron behind his back to Booker, who scored an easy layup:
Booker led his team in scoring after the first quarter with 7 points and 1 assist, while Durant added 3 points on 1 of 3 shooting from beyond the arc. Book also got into a bit of a tussle with France, which led to a commotion and some verbal exchanges.
Ant-Man had a much better start than in the semifinal against Serbia and quickly contributed six points as a substitute, giving the Americans a 20-15 lead after the first quarter.
The substitutes struggled in the second quarter, however, when Jayson Tatum replaced Derrick White after days of controversy (and moaning from Boston Celtics fans) had reached their peak. Durant’s 1-for-5 start from the three-point line didn’t help during that stretch, but the Ant-Tatum lineup faltered in the second quarter, when France used an 8-0 run to briefly take a 25-24 lead.
The starters came back into the game and Team USA immediately stabilized. Booker sank another three-pointer, tying his team’s most points (10), then he rejected a three-pointer and made a great extra pass to set up Steph Curry with a completely open three-pointer.
The French showed some fighting spirit and Guerschon Yabusele made the game of the tournament with an incredible poster about LeBron James:
But the ball movement for Team USA improved dramatically once the regulars came back in. Booker went out for a difficult and-one in transition and not long after, James found Curry on a baseline cut, leading to a completely open triple for Durant:
At halftime, United State led 49-41, led by Devin Booker, who scored a team-leading 13 points. Book also added 2 rebounds and 2 assists (both 3-pointers) after making 5 of 7 shots, and was +12 after 12 minutes of play. Durant, meanwhile, added 6 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds after making 2 of 6 shots from beyond the arc.
In the third quarter, the Americans again built a double-digit lead (and gave us another classic Joel Embiid meme), but 7 turnovers in the final 6 minutes of the quarter gave France a chance. The bench was once again a problem, as Tatum and Edwards both finished -5 in their minutes in the gold medal game.
Team USA’s lead was down to 6 points heading into the final period, but the good news was that Durant sank a few mid-range shots to get some momentum. He also found Ant on the break for a nice alley-oop finish:
Booker led the way through three quarters with 13 points (a team-high), while Durant added 10. Durant continued the momentum in the fourth quarter, sinking a crucial three-pointer as France went on offense.
But in the fourth quarter, it was the Steph Curry show that kept France in check, cutting the lead to 6 points and then to 3. When the game was down to one possession, Curry practiced four more 3-point shots to seal the deal and secure the gold for Team USA.
The final stab was absolutely insane, but don’t overlook the third, which came off an assist from Booker, where the Suns star swatted away a floater and went for the hot hand instead – showing once again why he deserved so many minutes alongside living legends like Steph Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
All in all, it was a successful tournament for the U.S. team and the Suns, as Kevin Durant became the first male player to win four gold medals in Olympic history and set the Olympic points record for the U.S. team in men’s and women’s basketball.
Devin Booker, meanwhile, won his second gold medal and established himself as one of the team’s most valuable role players, ready to do the dirty work…even though it took far too long for the rest of the world to notice.
In the end, Booker finished with a team-best +130 in 11 games for Team USA, while Durant posted an impressive +84 in just six appearances. That is why two Phoenix Suns started for one of the most talented Team USA teams of all time.
Despite committing 17 turnovers that night, Team USA rose to the occasion at the crucial moment and took home the gold. After such a memorable summer in Paris, Suns fans will be very excited to see what’s next for Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
