In the United States’ victory over Puerto Rico, Jayson Tatum stuffs the stat sheet.
Before Saturday’s group play final versus Puerto Rico, the US men’s basketball team had already punched their ticket to the quarterfinals.
But it was still necessary to win in order to secure the top overall seed for the knockout round, which gets underway in Paris on Tuesday. You’ll also need to overcome the two No. 3 seeds, who the rankings will tell you are the easier opponents.
Jayson Tatum contributed to that effort by recording his first Olympic double-double.
After being downgraded from questionable to inactive due to an ankle injury sustained during Team USA’s 103-86 victory against South Sudan on Wednesday, the five-time All-Star moved into the starting lineup in lieu of Jrue Holiday.
Tatum generated six points on 3/3 shooting in the game’s first seven minutes. He also swiped two steals, grabbed a pair of rebounds, and dished out an assist in his opening shift.
With eight points at the half, having made four of his five field goals and pulled down six rebounds, he led all players in that statistic. At the half, he had a plus-12 plus-minus rating and had added another assist, which helped the United States lead 64-45 going into halftime.
With ten points in the game, Tatum’s ten rebounds tied Ismael Romero of Puerto Rico for the most in the category. In addition, he finished with three assists, two steals, and a plus-nine plus-minus rating on Saturday to help Team USA cap off an impressive performance.
And while this was a quieter showing offensively for Derrick White, who, as he does with the Celtics, is shining in his role on a star-studded roster, the two-time All-Defensive Team selection had a steal and stonewalled a Jordan Howard drive before blocking his shot.
White also contributed two points, two assists, and a rebound in Team USA’s 104-83 victory against Puerto Rico.
