Make it three close games in a row for Team USA, but they’ve officially completed the group stage with a perfect record.
No longer are these tight finishes anomalies, but appear to be a trend that may or may not be alarming, depending on your perspective.
Team USA defeated Team France 100-97 to clinch the top seed in Group A. Tony Parker sat out this game with a toe injury, and it immediately evokes hypotheticals about how the outcome would have been different had Parker suited up.
If Team France lost by just three points sans Parker, would Team USA have still have been able to take care of business with Parker on the court? The answer is irrelevant for now, but may be germane if these two squads end up meeting in the elimination round.
30 points (including 7/13 from downtown) for @klaythompson in today's #USABMNT victory! https://t.co/XU182ftuzm
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 14, 2016
Klay Thompson lead Team USA with 30 points, which is encouraging after he entered the game shooting just 15% from the field for the tournament.
Like their game against Team Serbia, Team USA was dominant during prolonged stretches of the contest, only to take their foot off the gas and let their opponent get back in the game.
Team USA was up by as many as 16 points in the 3rd quarter, but only ended up winning by 3 points.
Both teams enter the knockout round with some form of psychological confidence. For Team USA, they can fall back on being undefeated in Group A. For Team France, they came within 4 points of beating Team USA without Parker’s presence.
Final: USA 100, @FRABasketball 97@KlayThompson 30pts, @KyrieIrving 10pts, 12asts
Recap: https://t.co/wBD0IncAgM pic.twitter.com/s2HdmhJtL9
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 14, 2016
Kevin Durant went 6-6 from the field in this game, finishing with 17 points. He moved into the top 5 all time for Team USA scoring during the game.
Draymond Green played only 6 minutes in this game, which was tied for a team low with Jimmy Butler. Green finished with 0 points and 1 assist.
Team USA will play the 4th place finisher in Group B in their first knockout game on Wednesday. That 4th place finisher in Group B won’t be determined until Monday’s games conclude.
Team USA looks dominant based on their record, and although narrow wins could be signaling vulnerability to an upset, heading into the knockout rounds undefeated in group play still carries a lot of intimidation with it.