It was Kevin Durant who strengthened Team USA’s defeat of the Czech Republic on a record night

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Saitama, Japan – The best thing Team USA did this summer was Kevin Durant’s commitment to play. On Saturday, everyone mentioned why.

On the night he became the top American scorer at the Olympics, Durant added another massive performance to his resume for Team USA in the 119-84 victory over the Czech Republic.

The victory secured the US team second place in its group and a place in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. The opponent and match time will be decided in a draw on Sunday, with the only certainty that there can be no second game with France until at least the semi-finals.

Because of its win in its last two matches, Team USA will end up in a positive position and avoid medal contenders Australia, Spain and possibly even Slovenia led by Luka Doncic in the quarter-finals.

Durant finished with 23 points on an 8-of-11 shot, which of course was important to the cause, but his game-making and defense were absolutely beneficial, providing eight rebounds and six assists. In the third quarter, he was brilliant, scoring 10 points with four assists as he went from a tight game to a hard hit.

He had a pedestrian start in Tokyo, scoring just 20 points in his first two games and only shooting 40%. Even in the preliminary games in Vegas, Durant wasn’t moving at full speed as he admitted everything looked like practice, shooting only 43%. He then missed the opening loss to France, a major factor in the Americans’ offensive struggles.

With Doncic, who scored 48 points in his first Olympic game, off to a great start and Australian Patty Mills putting in some great performances, Durant faded into the background in the first week of the tournament.

He went all that idle on Saturday as he looked for his early shot. The Czechs got off to a strong start, racking up eight of their first 11 shots, and had a 10-point lead. But Durant led a charge to beat them, as his triple index in the second quarter gave the US the lead for good.

It was an important basket, not only because it put the team ahead but also because it propelled Durant (354 points) past Carmelo Anthony (336) to take the all-time lead. Durant’s international career is impeccable, including at the 2010 World Cup in Turkey, where he established himself as a hub for the national team over the next decade.

It was also a slack evening for Jason Tatum, who had his best game of the summer with 27 points and five three-pointers. Tatum, upset with a minor knee injury in Vegas, had initially lost his spot. Coach Gregg Popovich set him to be a solid scorer on the bench, but he only shot 40% in his first two games.

Junior Holiday, who was again an outstanding defensive tackle as he relentlessly pressed the ball and grabbed three times, scored 11 points.

The Czech team led Blake Shelp, who played in Loyola Chicago, with 17 points.

In other matches, Mills scored 24 points, Jock Landal added 18 points, and Australia withdrew from the 89-76 victory over Germany and ended the team play without defeat. Nick Kay finally helped the Australians break free in a tight match and finished the match with 16 points.

The Australians went 3-0 to win Group B, a well-balanced pool where they all played Italy and Germany competitive matches against each other.

Italy returned to the Olympic quarter-finals, ousting Nigeria to snatch that spot. Niccolo Meli scored 15 points, Nico Magnion 14 points and Italy used 14-0 in the fourth quarter to win 80-71 in the men’s Basketball Group B final for both teams on Saturday.

Shimese Mito scored 22 points and Jordan Nora added 20 for Nigeria. The Nigerians opened the summer with exhibition victories over the United States and Argentina in Las Vegas, but didn’t go any further on their Olympic debut under coach Mike Brown.

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