The U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team (5-1) earned the USA’s fourth straight Olympic gold medal with a hard-fought 87-82 win over France (5-1) in the gold medal game on Saturday afternoon at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo.

Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets) scored 29 points, including the USA’s last two free throws to help seal the win. Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) added 19 points, and Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks) and Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers) each contributed 11 points.

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The USA trailed 12-6 to start the game and was 0-for-8 from 3-point before gaining some momentum. With the USA down 12-8, Durant scored 10 straight points, including the USA’s first score from behind the arc, to give the USA an 18-15 lead. France tied it up with a 3-pointer, but LaVine made a free throw and Tatum sunk one from deep to put the USA up 22-18 at the end of the first period.

Behind seven points from Durant and six from Tatum, the USA pushed its lead to 13 points, 39-26 at 4:48 in the second quarter. From there, however, France whittled away at the USA lead. During its 13-5 run to close the first half, and with both teams in the foul penalty, France was 6-of-8 on bonus free throws alone to help cut the USA lead to 44-39 at halftime.

At the midway point, Durant already had 21 points, but the USA was getting outrebounded 23-14 as was still just 22.2% from 3-point (4-18 3pt FGs).

France came within two points at the start of the third, 46-44, but a 3-pointer from Lillard was followed by a score from Holiday and five points from Durant, and France called a timeout with the USA back up by double-digits, 56-45, at 6:25. France cut it back to six points out of the timeout, but the USA responded each time France threatened. With the USA up 65-57 at 2:21, it scored six straight points to go ahead 71-57, however, France scored two from deep to head into the fourth period trailing the USA 71-63.

France cut it to six points, 73-67, at 7:05 in the fourth quarter and then connected from deep to make it 73-70. Lillard made a jump shot and Holiday stole the ball and scored to restore a 77-70 advantage for the USA. After scores from both sides, Tatum sank a key 3-pointer at 3:23 put the USA in the lead 82-72. France scored a layup and made one free throw with the USA over the foul limit. Adebayo swiped the second free throw off the rim, and Booker made two from the line after he was fouled on his way to the basket, and the USA lead was 84-75 at 1:58.

Evan Fournier made a 3-pointer at 1:08 to make it 84-78. Both teams missed their next tries, before Holiday got two free throws with France over the limit. Holiday made one of two, but also secured the rebound, and Lillard was fouled and went to the line at 23.3. He missed both and France scored a layup at 17.6 seconds, and it was 85-80. France stole the ball and got two free throws, making both to bring the score to 85-82 with 10.2 seconds to play.

The USA called a timeout, and France fouled on the inbound to send Durant to the line at 8.8 seconds. Durant made both to give the USA an 87-72 lead and essentially seal the win.

France called timeout and advanced the ball to the front court, missed its 3-point attempt, and the USA secured the rebound and the 87-82 win.

The USA and France previously met in the first game of Group A action on July 25, and France battled back from a seven-point deficit in the final 3:41 to take an 83-76 victory.

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Team USA finally did Saturday what it could not do when it played France nearly two weeks ago, closing out a 87-82 victory with some well-timed jumpers after France had cut the deficit to just three points with 5:40 left.

“We went through some real adversity. We just fought though everything,” Kevin Durant said. “It meant a lot. France is a good team, they don’t quit. They’re a big team. They presented a big challenge. But we wanted them again. We wanted to play them again.”

Unlike their first meeting, when France left the Americans shell-shocked after an 83-76 victory, the U.S. responded immediately as Damian Lillard made a pair of long 2-point jumpers and Jrue Holiday got a steal and a dunk to keep their team out of danger.

That sequence was pretty much the story of this one, as the U.S. held off one run after another France, which pulled within five at halftime and eight after three quarters. But the French were never able to build any sustained momentum largely because of Durant, who had 29 points to go along with the 30-points he scored in the gold medal games in both 2012 and 2016.

His final two points at the foul line finished off the win after the French had closed it to within 85-82 with 10.2 seconds left. Durant also made 9-of-18 field goals.

The U.S. made just 8-of-29 threes in the gold medal game but forced France into 18 turnovers and were able to turn those into transition baskets that helped unlock their offense.

Afterward the team gleefully danced on the court in celebration, with Durant draped in a U.S. flag. The medal was the 100th for Team USA at the Tokyo Games.

“It’s an incredible feeling, something you always dream about,” said Jayson Tatum, who had 19 points. “I remember being in high school, watching these guys win a gold medal. And now I’m getting to be able to play alongside them.”

USA men’s basketball topples France to win gold medal at Tokyo Games

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For his last warmup shots before every game in Tokyo, Kevin Durant would launch the ball toward the rafters, trying to make the ball swish without moving the net.

He aimed high throughout the Olympics. The best player on a USA basketball team missing a handful of superstars, Durant became the dominant player in the Olympics. Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena, he scored 29 points to lead the US to its fourth straight gold medal with a 87-82 victory over France.

France defeated the US in the team’s first game of the Olympics. Then the USA began improving its defense and Durant began orchestrating the offense, and the US closed the Olympics with a flourish.

Durant demonstrated his usual shooting touch and obvious emotion, pumping his fist after a first-half dunk, and running to the bench for emphatic high-fives after making a third-quarter three-pointer.

Durant also covered everyone from point guards to France’s physical center Rudy Gobert, forcing Gobert to travel on an early-fourth quarter possession. Durant would finish with six rebounds and three assists as well as leading all scorers.

France closed to within two points early in the second half, and were within four before Durant sandwiched a two-point and a three-point shot around a layup from Jrue Holiday that made it 56-48, USA.

At that point, Durant had 26 of the US’s 56 points.

The US went on a 9-2 run to take a 71-57 lead toward the end of the third quarter, with former Timberwolf Zach Lavine scoring five straight points.

Then France hit two three-pointers, including one from Nick Batum, to cut the lead to 71-63 entering the fourth quarter.

The USA’s offense went dry early in the fourth quarter, in part because they stopped getting the ball to Durant, and France cut the lead to 73-70.

The United States’ defense improved dramatically as the tournament progressed, and the Americans forced a shot-clock violation on the first defensive possession of the game.

The Americans missed their first eight three-point shots of the game, allowing France to take a 14-10 lead. Durant made the USA’s first three-pointer late in the first quarter, tying the score at 18.

From the middle of the first quarter to the middle of the second quarter, the USA went on a 29-12 run to take a 39-26 lead, but France’s ability to use superior inside size allowed them to close to within five at the half, at 44-39.

France featured four players of 6-10 or more, most notably powerhouse center Rudy Gobert. The US featured just one player of that height, 7-foot backup center JaVale McGee, one of two USA players who did not play in the first half.

In the first half, Dame Lillard, Devin Booker and Jrue Holiday combined to go 0-for-7 from the three-point line.

The US ended the Olympics with a five-game winning streak but the final game wasn’t easy.

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USA men’s basketball topples France to win gold medal at Tokyo Games

Kevin Durant’s 29 points led the U.S. to its fourth straight gold medal with a 87-82 victory over France.

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For his last warmup shots before every game in Tokyo, Kevin Durant would launch the ball toward the rafters, trying to make the ball swish without moving the net.

Durant aimed high throughout the Olympics, and hit his mark. The best player on a U.S. men’s basketball team missing a handful of superstars, Durant became the dominant player of the Olympics. Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, he scored 29 points to lead the U.S. to its fourth straight gold medal with a 87-82 victory over France.

France defeated the U.S. in the team’s first game of the Olympics. Then the U.S. began improving its defense and Durant began orchestrating the offense, and the U.S. closed the Olympics with a flourish.

Durant demonstrated his usual shooting touch and obvious emotion, pumping his fist after a first-half dunk, and running to the bench for emphatic high-fives after making a third-quarter three-pointer.

Durant also covered everyone from point guards to France’s physical center Rudy Gobert, forcing Gobert to travel on an early fourth-quarter possession. Durant would finish with six rebounds and three assists as well as leading all scorers, then would drape an American flag around his head and shoulders during the postgame celebration.

“He’s the best player in the world,” said Durant’s former coach, Steve Kerr, who is an assistant with Team USA. “Just a wonderful player. He did everything we needed him to do.”

Jerry Colangelo, managing director of USA Basketball, said he first met Durant when Durant was a freshman at Texas. “I wanted him to come to our camp,” Colangelo said. “He was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and he’s been that way ever since.

“He’s special. Kevin Durant has been one of the greatest players to ever play for USAB.”

Durant is the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. men, and he chose to play in the Olympics even while many of his highest-profile peers declined, for health or personal reasons.

The United States would not have won this gold without him.

France closed to within two points early in the second half and was within four before Durant sandwiched a two-point and a three-point shot around a layup from Jrue Holiday that made it 56-48, USA.

The U.S. went on a 9-2 run to take a 71-57 lead toward the end of the third quarter, with former Timberwolf Zach LaVine scoring five straight points.

Then France hit two three-pointers, including one from Nick Batum, to cut the lead to 71-63 entering the fourth quarter.

“To fight through this adversity against a great team, to come together so fast, it was beautiful to see,” Durant said. “It was beautiful to be a part of.”

The USA’s offense went dry early in the fourth quarter, in part because the team stopped getting the ball to Durant, and France cut the lead to 73-70.

The United States’ defense improved dramatically as the tournament progressed, and the Americans forced a shot-clock violation on the first defensive possession of the game.

The Americans missed their first eight three-point shots of the game, allowing France to take a 14-10 lead. Durant made the USA’s first three-pointer late in the first quarter, tying the score at 18.

The United States probably would have won by more, if the offense hadn’t gone away from Durant in the fourth quarter.