Jrue Holiday's playmaking, grit help Team USA stage comeback in Olympic semifinal

The former UCLA guard and the United States will play in the gold medal game Friday night
Jrue Holiday's playmaking, grit help Team USA stage comeback in Olympic semifinal
Jrue Holiday's playmaking, grit help Team USA stage comeback in Olympic semifinal /

The Americans have a chance to defend their gold medal, thanks in large part to a massive third quarter run bookended by two Bruins.

Team USA men's basketball defeated Australia 97-78 in the semifinals of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Thursday. The final score may scream blowout, but it was far from it throughout the first half.

Right out of the gates, the Aussies went up 24-18 in the first quarter and led by as many as 15 points midway through the second. A seven-point burst from Kevin Durant helped the United States close that gap to three before the half, but considering Australia won the prior head-to-head matchup in an exhibition July 12, an American win was still no sure thing.

Former UCLA guard Jrue Holiday made the first two shots of the second half, giving Team USA its first lead since the opening minute, and he ended up accounting for nine points in the third quarter alone. The Americans then went up by 11 before Holiday and Durant subbed out late in the third frame, but the run wasn't over – another former UCLA guard Zach LaVine picked off a pass and threw down an emphatic slam to cap off a 32-10 quarter and turn a back-and-forth affair into a bona fide blowout.

While the fourth quarter was even at 23-23, the damage was done and Team USA punched its ticket to the gold medal game for the fourth consecutive Olympics.

Holiday tied for third on his team with 11 points in the game, and LaVine wasn't far behind with nine. The two former Bruins shot a combined 9-for-17 from the field despite going 1-for-5 from 3.

Holiday's scoring was much-needed at times, but it was his ability to efficiently run Team USA's offense and distribute the ball that set him apart from his teammates. Holiday led all Americans with eight assists – no other player on Team USA had more than two – and his 8-to-2 assist-to-turnover ratio salvaged the rest of the team's negative 11-to-14 mark.

The upcoming gold medal game will be a rematch of the United States' Olympic-opening loss, with France and Team USA set to meet with podium spots on the line Saturday in Tokyo – or Friday night at 7:30 p.m. (PST).

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon was the Publisher and Managing Editor at Sports Illustrated and FanNation’s All Bruins from 2021 to 2023. He is now a staff writer at Sports Illustrated and FanNation’s Fastball. He previously covered UCLA football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, men's soccer, cross country and golf for The Daily Bruin from 2017 to 2021, serving as the paper's Sports Editor from 2019 to 2020. Connon has also been a contributor for 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' BruinBlitz, Dash Sports TV, SuperWestSports, Prime Time Sports Talk, The Sports Life Blog and Patriots Country, Sports Illustrated and FanNation’s New England Patriots site. His work as a sports columnist has been awarded by the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon graduated from UCLA in June 2021 and is originally from Winchester, Massachusetts.