ESPN.com: “Team USA’s invincibility in men’s basketball is long gone, and the journey to a fourth consecutive gold medal is already fraught with adversity. France gut-punched the Americans with a brilliant finish for a 83-76 victory to open the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday. It snapped a 25-game Olympic winning streak dating back to 2004 for Team USA. The final blow came when Evan Fournier drilled a 3-pointer with a minute to play to give the French the lead for good, completing a comeback after the U.S. had a six-point lead with four minutes to play. It was the biggest of his 28 points, one of the finest games he’s played in his career. It was followed by an incredible American possession in which they managed to get five shots and missed them all. The final three were wide open 3-pointers by Zach LaVine, Kevin Durant and Jrue Holiday.”
WashingtonPost.com: “Evan Fournier was the hero for France, scoring a game-high 28 points on 11-for-22 shooting and hitting a crucial go-ahead three-pointer in the game’s final minute. Nando de Colo added 13 points, including a pair of clutch free throws with 21.8 seconds left. It was an agonizing night for Durant, who finished with 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting but was forced to the bench for long stretches after picking up four first-half fouls. Durant missed a pair of three-pointers in the game’s final minute and scored only one point in the fourth quarter. The Brooklyn Nets’ star fouled out with 15.5 seconds to play after playing just 20 minutes.”
ChicagoTribune.com: “Team USA got off to a rocky start in their first game Sunday, however, dropping their Olympics opener to France 83-76. It’s their first loss in Olympics play since 2004, snapping a 25-game winning streak. [Zach] LaVine, who made the starting lineup in his Olympic debut, scored eight points on 3 of 6 shooting, including a huge 3-pointer with just over four minutes remaining in the 4th quarter to extend the U.S. lead to seven points. Then France finished the game on a 16-4 run.”
