VIDEO: Kevin Durant Flops Miserably As France Stun Team USA at Tokyo Olympics 2020

Roller-coaster was the perfect description of USA’s opening fixture in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Bam Adebayo were all on song for the States, but the side still failed to dominate. Kevin Durant was the main missing link on the night. For France, de Colo, Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier cleaned up brilliantly.

Unpredictable battle between USA and France

After dominating the first quarter, USA looked all set to romp to victory. Led by Damian Lillard and Bam Adebayo, the blue devils took an 8-point lead at halftime.

However, the quality of play was much closer than the scoreline showcased. France was piling on the pressure; the difference was that the Americans were making the clutch shots.

In Q3, the French began to find their groove. The shots that were normally bouncing off the rim were now going in. Veteran Nando de Colo slammed down some sensational shots, inching his side closer to the finish line. Late in the third, the men in white even took the lead! Coming off a 25-11 quarter, France led the US 62-56 going into the final passage of play.

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Kevin Durant has poor outing, USA crash

In the fourth quarter, USA managed to pull back and get back into the lead. With about 4 minutes to go, however, France went on a great run of play. They got back into the lead and managed to keep it. Fournier and de Colo starred for France, as they pulled off a remarkable win.

The United States will be heavily disappointed with the performance of starlet Kevin Durant. The Brooklyn Nets attacker managed only 10 points and failed to play with any conviction. Moreover, the side lacked a big-game playmaker and seemed to be lost throughout.

If the USA is to fight back, they will need a much-improved performance. They are still the favorites for a medal, but the gold seems to be slipping away from them. Popovich and Steve Kerr will need to do some major brushing up ahead of the men in blue’s next tie.