Final Score: United States 129, Serbia 92
(Getty)
As it’s been for most of the last three decades, the United States is on top of the international basketball world.
Team USA overcame a sluggish start and throttled underdog Serbia in the gold medal game Sunday, winning its 63rd straight international game, its fourth straight major international tournament and its second straight World Cup, marking the first time in history it’s won the tournament twice in a row.
Click here for a full box score and click the link below for a photo gallery.
Here’s how it went down:
The 2nd Half Was One Big Highlight Reel
With Rudy Gay and Co. throwing down dunks like this one, the Americans turned the second half into a show. Team USA crossed the 100-point threshold in the third quarter and coasted from there.
Serbia actually outscored the United States 25-24 in the fourth quarter, but it didn’t matter. By the time the final horn sounded, the outcome was far from in doubt.
Here’s a look at the U.S. bench’s reaction when the final horn sounded.
Kyrie Irving Was Named Tournament MVP
Kyrie Irving has plenty of good things to look forward to in the fall, when he’ll be joined on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster by LeBron James and Kevin Love.
But as Irving prepares for the season, he’ll have a whole lot of fond memories to look back on from the tournament.
Irving scored a game-high 26 points Sunday on 6-for-6 shooting and was named tournament MVP. He finished Sunday’s game 6-for-6 from 3-point range and 10-for-13 from the field.
James Harden added 23 points, and seven other players joined Irving in double figures.
Team USA Was Lights Out from 3-Point Range in the 1st Half
.@usabasketball was unstoppable beyond the arc in the first half, knocking down 11 of 16 3-pointers. pic.twitter.com/bAgs2MoFtH
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 14, 2014
The Americans shot a sizzling 69 percent (11-for-16) from 3-point range in the first half, with Kyrie Irving (4-for-4), James Harden (3-for-4) and Klay Thompson (2-for-3) leading the way.
Team USA shot 59 percent (24-for-41) from the floor and 89 percent (8-for-9) form the line in the half.
The United States out-rebounded Serbia 20-14.
DeMarcus Cousins Stepped Up After Anthony Davis & Kenneth Faried Got Into Foul Trouble
With Davis and Faried in foul trouble, @usabasketball turned to @boogiecousins for intensity in the first quarter.
http://t.co/TjjSc1Ovro
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 14, 2014
Anthony Davis and Kenneth Faried — the United States’ two starting frontcourt players and its best two post players throughout the tournament — both had three fouls by the opening minutes of the second quarter. But DeMarcus Cousins came off the bench and dominated, helping the U.S. expand its lead.
Cousins finished the first half with 7 points and a team-high 8 rebounds as the Americans went into the break leading 67-41.
Team USA Caught Fire Late in the 1st Quarter
.@KyrieIrving was averaging 10.4 PPG during the @FIBA Basketball World Cup coming into today. pic.twitter.com/OxuFNTdqqr
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 14, 2014
Serbia raced to a 15-7 lead in the opening minutes, but the United States caught fire late in the first quarter to open a big lead.
The Americans closed the quarter on a back-breaking 28-6 run to open a 35-21 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Kyrie Irving scored 15 points in the quarter to lead the U.S.
How to Watch on TV & Online
ESPN2 has the TV coverage starting at 3 p.m. Eastern.
You can watch the game online or on a mobile device as follows:
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: If your cable subscription includes ESPN, you can watch the live stream of the game online for free at WatchESPN.com. You’ll need your cable log-in and password, or the log-in and password of someone you know.
HOW TO WATCH ON MOBILE: Mobile and tablet users can watch the game for free on the Watch ESPN app. As is the case with desktop, you’ll need the log-in for a cable subscription with access to ESPN. You can download the app for free in the App Store , the Google Play store, the Amazon App store or the Windows Store.
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USA vs. Serbia: Score, Stats & Highlights