During yesterday's quarterfinal victory over Argentina, Kevin Durant caught fire. After a pair of subpar performances in the group stage, Durant let the loose, hitting 7-of-9 three-pointers while scoring 27 points.
In the process, he became the second player on Team USA to surpass Michael Jordan on the all-time U.S. men's Olympic scoring list.
In the second game in Rio, Carmelo Anthony passed Jordan for third on the list with a three-ball from the corner. Melo later passed LeBron James for first all-time in the Olympics record book.
Now, Durant is the fourth leading Olympic scorer in U.S. history, with Jordan slotted back at the fifth. Ahead of Durant are David Robinson, LeBron, and Carmelo. There's a good chance Durant will be in second behind Anthony by the time these Olympics conclude.
Recently, James said that he hasn't counted out playing in the 2020 Olympics, so even if Durant passes him over the course of the next two games, LeBron could add onto his total four years from now.
Before yesterday's outburst, Durant had only put up 10 shots in the previous two games, combined. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski implored Durant to become more assertive, as he eventually did:
“We obviously need him to be the Kevin Durant of Istanbul and London. We’re hoping the medal round brings that out.”
Durant and the rest of Team USA continue their Olympic journey with a semifinal matchup against Spain on Friday, August 19th, at 2:30 p.m. EST.
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