After struggling in the first twenty minutes of action, Team USA erased a 15-point first-half deficit on Thursday, securing a commanding semifinal victory and a spot in the gold medal match in Tokyo Olympics.

The United States would then be facing the winner of the semifinal matchup between Slovenia and France on Friday, while Australia was waiting for the losing team in that matchup for the chance of taking home a bronze medal.

Return of the Basketball Titans on Tokyo Olympics

According to NBA.com, Kevin Durant led Team USA on their way to the gold medal game with a comeback win over Australia. The United States squad seized control against Australia after a good offensive start in the third quarter and woke up from a sloppy and cold-shooting at the first half.

Moreover, the Americans overcame a double-digit deficit in the first half Thursday, shocking the Australian Boomers, 97-78. The recent win placed Team USA within one win of securing their fourth straight gold medal in the Olympics.

In leading the U.S. men's basketball team to beat Spain to reach the basketball tournament's semifinals, the Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant led Team USA in the scoring department with a game-high 23 points and followed by Phoneix Suns guard Devin Booker with his 20.

Patty Mills, who recently signed with the Nets and would be the new teammate of Kevin Durant, led Australia with 15 points, but it was not enough to stop the American team's firepower.

Despite shooting only for 2-of-13 from behind the arc during the first half, Team USA only trailed by a single possession at 3 points at halftime. Team USA sank four triples in the third period, which propelled them on the scoreboard. 

The early hot shooting in the second half prompted them to turn things around and surged to a 19-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of action.

Before heading into the final frame, Kevin Durant was already up to 23 points, while Booker has 18 and Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has 11.

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Gold Medal Match Bound

The Boomers tried to force defensive stops and translated it to points on the other end of the court. Team USA's Zach Lavine answered the run attempt with some highlights, burying the Aussie team under a double-digit deficit.

The Australian team started the game with a hot shooting performance, but they could not sustain it. Kevin Durant said after the game: "A lot of teams are expecting us to fold early. We had a lot of guys with straight faces when we were down 15."

Team USA star Damian Lillard stated following their win over Australia that they came to Tokyo Olympics with one goal: to win a gold medal, and now they were in a position to do it.

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Written by: Jess Smith

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