The USA men’s basketball team led by two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant were beaten 83-76 by France in a huge Olympic basketball upset on Sunday. This was the Americans’ first defeat at an Olympics since the 2004 Athens Games.

The Americans had looked rusty in the build-up to Tokyo, losing to Nigeria in a warm-up game, and the defeat will underline Durant’s fears expressed before the Games that his side will not face a “cakewalk” in Japan.

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The first-round defeat doesn’t mean that the United States is knocked out of the competition. It is a temporary setback and Durant and company still have a chance at winning a gold medal. 

What is next for US?

The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals. The US men’s basketball team faces Iran in their next game on Wednesday. 

Team USA has been clubbed with France, Czech Republic and Iran in Group A. France and the Czech Republic, after registering wins, occupy the first and second rung of the points table respectively. The United States are the current wooden spoon holders.  

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To secure a straightaway qualification, the United States will have to beat Iran in the next game. One between France and the Czech Republic will lose when they meet, giving Kevin Durant’s men a slim chance of finishing in the top 2. 

In case they finish third, their world ranking, which is No 1, is bound to take them to the next stage. After the group stage, they will enter the knock-out stages. 

The United States had lost against Nigeria in the warm-up leading to the Olympics. Against France, they fell to the brilliance of Fournier, who top-scored for France with 28 points.

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“I tried to be aggressive. As an NBA player I know the players we were facing. We had to show the team how to attack them,” Fournier said.

France clawed back from a 10-point deficit to set up a breathless final quarter and as the USA failed to find any rhythm, the French smelled victory in the Saitama arena, where spectators were absent because of coronavirus measures.

Fournier’s three-pointer with 57 seconds remaining put his team ahead 76-74 and when Durant hit the rim with a three-pointer himself the French closed out the game with a succession of free throws.