Moment Between Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony Going Viral

After playing poorly for three quarters and trailing by as many as 17, Team USA, led by Lebron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, staged a massive comeback on Thursday in Paris. The Americans prevail 95-91 after outsourcing their opposition 32-15 in the fourth quarter to advance to the gold medal game against host nation France on Saturday.

Durant, now the all-time leading scorer in USA Basketball history and a Texas Ex, was once again trusted by Head Coach Steve Kerr to be part of the American lineup to close the game despite scoring only two points in the first three quarters. Predictably, the “easy money sniper” proved his former NBA head coach correct, hitting two massive shots.

The first came as Team USA faced an 11-point deficit with 7:19 left. James brought the ball up and found Durant open on the wing behind an Anthony Davis screen. Durant didn’t think twice and knocked down the three despite Serbia superstar Nikola Jokic knocking Davis over, sending the seven-footer into Durant’s legs. Due to this foul, the Americans immediately got the ball back, resulting in a Devin Booker three from the top of the key on the inbound. The lead was now only five, and the run would continue.

The former Longhorn’s most consequential moment would come as the US was clinging onto a two-point lead with under a minute to go. As Durant received the ball from James at the top of the key, their former USA basketball teammate, Carmelo Anthony, stood courtside, imploring Durant to exploit the isolation against his defender. With a between-the-legs and then a pair of his signature crossovers, that is exactly what Durant did, calmly knocking down a long two to all but end Serbia’s chances at an upset.

Durant and his teammates look forward to Saturday’s gold medal match at 2:30 CT against 20-year-old phenom Victor Wembanyama and hosts France. The Americans are favored by 16.5 points, per sportsbookreview.com, in the rematch of the gold medal game from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, in which Team USA won 87-82 behind a game-high 29 points from Durant.