Kevin Durant scored 23 points and Devin Booker added 20 to power three-time defending champions United States past Australia 97-78 Thursday and into an Olympic men’s basketball final against either France or Slovenia.
The Americans were 24-18 behind after the first quarter and 45-42 adrift at halfway, but stormed back during a dominant third term to stay on track for a fourth consecutive gold medal.
It was revenge for Gregg Popovich’s men who had crashed to Patty Mills’ Boomers in their past two meetings, including a demoralising 91-83 defeat in Las Vegas last month.
They also lost 98-94 in the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup in Melbourne.