Team USA stunningly falls to France in opener at Olympics
Team USA's dicey run of performances by the men's basketball team carried on into their Group A opener at the Olympics.
A stunning 83-76 loss at the hands of France to open the Games came after the U.S. lost a pair of exhibition games to Nigeria and Australia in the leadup to the Olympics.
Team USA bounced back from those two defeats to blast Argentina and Spain to carry some positive momentum into the Tokyo Games, but now, questions are sure to be asked of coach Gregg Popovich's team.
The Americans started well enough, holding a 45-37 lead at halftime, but the wheels came off offensively after the break.
Led by Boston Celtics winger Evan Fournier's 28 points, France mounted a massive comeback, outscoring the U.S. 25-11 in the third quarter and 21-20 in the fourth.
In the second half, Team USA went just 8-for-32 from the field and wilted down the stretch, failing to score a field goal after Zach LaVine hit a 3-pointer to put the U.S. up 72-67 with 4:20 to play.
After Devin Booker hit a pair of free throws to push the score to 74-67 with 3:41 on the clock, France seized control. While Team USA's offensive went cold, Nicolas Batum hit a three and Fournier made a jumper to make it a two-point game with 2:33 remaining.
Rudy Gobert hit one of two free throws to close the gap to a point a minute later, then Fournier drilled a crucial triple with 57 seconds left to give France the lead.
Popovich's men sent France's players to the line in an attempt to extend the game, but the French team went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe in the final 21 seconds to seal a signature win.
As a team, the United States shot a dismal 36.2% from the field and 31.3% from distance. Brooklyn Nets' superstar Kevin Durant had just 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting, and Portland Trail Blazers sharpshooter Damian Lillard mustered 11 points on 3-for-10 from the field. He also led the team with four turnovers, including a costly one with Team USA down 78-74 with 17 seconds left.
In terms of bright spots for Team USA, Jrue Holiday showed few ill effects from celebrating the Milwaukee Bucks' triumph in the NBA Finals, leading the team with 18 points off the bench.
The loss came as a real shock, considering Team USA's success against France at the Olympics through the years.
The U.S. previously held a 6-0 record against France at the Games but did suffer a 10-point loss in the quarterfinals of the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
Even so, losses on the Olympic stage are not something the Americans are used to.
After the game, Popovich wouldn't say that Team USA was "surprised" by the loss — the first for the U.S. in the Olympics since 2004 — but rather that they were disappointed.
"When you lose a game, you're not surprised. You're disappointed," Popovich said, via The Washington Post. "I don't understand the word 'surprised.' That sort of disses the French team, as if we're supposed to beat them by 30. That's a hell of a team."
ESPN's Tim Legler said Team USA should feel embarrassed about dropping their opener, but suggested it might be a shot in the arm for a team that's still looking to find chemistry.
"If they had more time together, collectively, the entire group, I don't think you're going to see this result today," Legler said. "So, they're going to get better each and every game in this tournament. This, in a lot of ways, could be a good thing for them. It could be a wake-up call to make them understand the attention to detail that you need to have. … There should be a sense of embarrassment about the loss, and hopefully, that requires them to dig a little bit deeper on both ends of the floor as they go forward."
Here are some other reactions from social media to the result:
The good news is there is plenty of runway left for the U.S., but they've exhausted most of their wiggle room. They have two more group games to play and the top two teams in each group, as well as the two best third-place teams, advance out of the preliminary round to the quarterfinals.
Team USA will look to stay in the hunt Tuesday against Iran at 12:40 a.m. ET.
For full highlights of the game vs. France, check out the video below:
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