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Dutch Gold

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PARIS – The Netherlands won gold in the men’s 3×3 basketball by edging France 18-17 in overtime in the final at the Paris Olympics on Monday, just a few minutes after Germany earned their first international title in the women’s tournament.

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France was backed by a passionate crowd, but Worthy de Jong, instantly recognizable with his bleached blond hair, tied the score in the last seconds of regulation and sealed the title for the Dutch with a two-point, long-range shot in overtime.

On the women’s side, Germany beat Spain 17-16 after Sonja Greinacher hit a two-pointer that gave them a decisive lead with 30 seconds remaining at Place de la Concorde.

Greinacher had already scintillated in a back-and-forth semifinal contest against Canada, delivering 11 points and five rebounds for a 16-15 win.

“We definitely wanted that gold medal,” Greinacher said after getting a congratulatory hug courtside from compatriot and 14-times NBA All-Star Dirk Nowitzki.

“I think we just wanted to enjoy our last game together as a group. That was the biggest goal of it all, to just enjoy.”

The men’s bronze went to Lithuania after they dispatched Tokyo gold medalists Latvia 21-18, who picked a bad day to suffer their only two losses of the tournament.

The United States, who won the women’s gold in Tokyo, prevailed over Canada 16-13 to claim bronze this time around, a consolation prize after losing 18-16 to Spain in overtime in the semifinals.

“After we lost this morning and had our gold dream crushed, we were down,” American Hailey Van Lith said.

“We were kind of feeling sorry for ourselves. It took a lot of mental toughness just to compete in this game.”

In their bronze medal game, the United States had to rely on close one-point shots and five free throws to beat Canada’s Plouffe twins, Katherine and Michelle, the Nos. 1 and 3-ranked players in the world.

The Americans had a difficult start to the tournament, losing their three opening pool games to Germany, Azerbaijan and Australia before finally finding their groove.

The Paris 3×3 tournament was even more complicated for the U.S. men’s team, who were making their Olympic debut with a revamped squad after failing to qualify for Tokyo.

The Americans had to play four of their seven games without top-ranked player Jimmer Fredette, who suffered two torn ligaments in his adductor, and failed to break out of their pool.

France’s women, runners-up at the 2023 World Cup, were just as disappointing, finishing last in the pool phase behind Azerbaijan.

–Reuters, Special to Field Level Media

Abreu, Red Sox Pound Rangers

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ARLINGTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Wilyer Abreu posted his first career multi-home run game on Sunday to power the Boston Red Sox to a 7-2 victory over the Texas Rangers in central Texas.

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Abreu had a solo shot in the fourth inning then hit a three-run homer in the sixth to finish with four RBIs. His second blast was his 12th of the season and handed Boston a 6-2 lead.

Jarren Duran (No. 14) and David Hamilton (No. 6) each added a solo home run for the Red Sox, who won the rubber game of the three-game series. Duran had three hits and two RBIs in the victory.

Two of Boston’s four home runs came against Nate Eovaldi, who gave up five runs on seven hits in five innings. Eovaldi (8-5) struck out seven and walked one.

Cam Booser (2-2) tossed 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. Booser took over for Boston starter Nick Pivetta with two outs in the fifth and did not allow a hit.

Texas received solo home runs from Corey Seager (No. 22) and Josh Jung (No. 3), who had two of the team’s three hits.

The Rangers opened the scoring on Seager’s drive in the first,and doubled their advantage when Jung homered in the second. The Red Sox have allowed a major-league-leading 33 home runs in 15 games since the All-Star break.

Duran’s RBI double in the third drove in Hamilton to make it 2-1. Abreu’s home run in the fourth tied the game and Duran’s blast put the Red Sox in front 3-2 in the fifth.

In the sixth, Rafael Devers singled to extend his hitting streak to 10 games and Connor Wong doubled. Eovaldi was then lifted for Walter Pennington, who then gave up Abreu’s three-run shot. Devers extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

Hamilton’s home run stretched Boston’s lead to 7-2 in the seventh.

–Field Level Media

Scheffler Cares; Gets the Gold

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PARIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – There were far too many Olympic and sports pundits who threw shade on multi-millionaires who wouldn’t have the motivation to play for a medal of golf, silver or bronze when they can earn upwards of $18,000,000 for a single FedEx Cup title or $300,000,000 for signing on the dotted line with LIV Golf. It’s just a wild guess, they didn’t stick around for the Medal Ceremony on Golf Channel to see tears of emotion streaming on Scottie Scheffler’s face.

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Scheffler, an American golfer of the highest regard, won the gold medal at the Men’s Olympic Golf competition on Sunday with a final score of 19 under par at Le Golf National, south of the city of Paris.

He turned in a final-round 62, which included six birdies on the back nine. He closed with birdies on holes 15 through 18.

The World No. 1 finished one shot ahead of Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood (66), who took silver at 18 under. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (65) was two shots back to claim the bronze medal, improving on his tie for fourth place on home soil in Tokyo three years ago.

For Scheffler, this is his seventh victory of 2024. His wins include The Players Championship and the Masters Tournament.

–Reuters, Special to Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Olympic ⛳️

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

FROM the LYONS’ DEN in BOSTON – It’s time to “tee-up” a patented TL timeline of a column. It works when there’s any Olympic golf tournament, staged in Paris, France, and the time zone change brings live golf into your quiet, basement TV at three in the morning – a little like Ryder Cup times.

You know the rules. (There’s none).

Here we go:

August 1, 2024

4:11am – After my iPhone alarm had been moved to snooze twice since its 3:00am setting, a large cup of coffee – let’s call it Cafe au lait for the occasion – was made with the care of a Parisian shoppe owner while doing everything humanly possible to not awake our two wonderful canines.

As one would expect, the early bird – that’s the lève tôt pour moi – was rewarded with the 4:11am ET/10:11am (local) tee time threesome – trio – of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the USA, Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg being introduced to the crowds of Le Golf National, located at Saint Quentin en Yvelines, to the west/southwest of Paris.

To set the scene properly, it’s important to note, the starter at Le Golf National could easily double as the cropier at the Casino de Monte-Carlo’s Baccarat table. You might remember the scene from the 2018 Ryder Cup (17 1⁄2 – to – 10 1⁄2 win by Europe), as the Albatros Course looked and played in near perfect condition.

5:00am – There’s a few general thoughts running through your columnist’s mind. They’ll be addressed now, and presented in stream of consciousness mode.

Golf returned to the Olympic Games in 2016 (Rio) and is being contested for only the fifth time in the modern Olympics. The sport was first played in the Olympics in 1900, as the 1896 modern Olympics in Greece did not have a suitable golf course to play. In 1900, at the Compiègne Club in France, both men and woman competed in the sport. Only four nations were represented (France, Great Britain, the United States and Greece).

Charles Sands, a representative of the St. Andrews Golf Club in Yonkers, New York finished the 36 hole tournament, shooting (82)+(85) for (167), defeating Walter Rutherford of Jedburgh, Scotland (Great Britain) by one stroke. In the women’s competition, Margaret Abbott of Chicago Golf Club. Abbott (born in Calcutta) shot a (47) to win and became the first ever American female to medal in the Olympic Games. The bad news was that she received a gilded porcelein bowl as a trophy, rather than a gold medal. The incredible news, Abbott’s mother finished seventh.

St. Louis was celebrating the World’s Fair in 1904 and hosted a two country (USA and Canada) golf tournament at the Glen Echo course in St. Louis. A 20-year-old American, H. Chandler Egan, a Harvard student and the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, was the heavy favorite to claim the gold medal in match play format. Egan met Canadian George Lyon in the 36-hole final but lost 3 and 2 in difficult conditions.

Golf was not included in the Olympic Games for 112 years after St. Louis. Fast forward 90 years to October 9, 2009, in Copenhagen when the 121st IOC session determined golf would be reinstated to the Summer Olympics and for plaqnning purposes, the sport returned in grand form at the 2016 Games at Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Interestingly, the USOC’s Bob Condron was named venue chief – a very smart move for the brand new course constructed for the event.

Britain’s Justin Rose and Korea’s Inbee Park took the gold medals in Rio.

Of course, the global pandemic wreaked havoc but golf returned in 2021 at the Tokyo Games when Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda, both representing the United States of America, won the men’s and women’s events. They remain defending champions until medals are awarded this week.

Keep in mind, unlike the usual PGA Tour, DP World Golf or LIV Golf event when some 50-70+ players will have a slice of the sizable purse, this week, only three players in both the men’s and women’s events are recognized as winners. In other words, you get the same prize for fourth as you do for 60th – “nuthin.”

5:55am – The featured group of defending champion Schauffele – winner of two of ‘24’s four majors in the PGA Championship and the recent Open Championship – was placed with Spain’s Jon Rahm who won his first LIV Golf title only a week ago, and Norway’s Viktor Hovland, the reigning FedEx Cup Champion and winner of a cool $18 million for his efforts, joined the party.

Remember, for their entire PGA Tour careers, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, winners of 25 majors and 135 tour titles, earned a combined $7,595,888. (US).

6:06am – France’s Mathieu Pavon teed-off as the hometown hero but he was overshadowed a bit by his playing partners, Collin Morikawa of the USA and MattFitzpatrick of England.

6:15am – Two – yes, count ‘em, two dogs woke up and sought me out in our home basement and both were happy to cuddle-up and return to sleep for a while. Both Penny (Lane), our 3.5 year old Irish Golden Doodle (heavy on the Golden Retriever and Poodle side) and (Mighty) Max of Silver Hammer fame, our 1-year old english Springer Doodle, of the happiest, mellowist, craziest dog of all-time fame, remained silent, observing golf’s most important rule – “No Barking” at 6:15am.

A second wind cup of (Dunkin Donuts – original) coffee was brewed and poured into an Ember ceramic mug. BTW, the Ember Cup might be the greatest invention of the century, and I applaud (sis-in-law) for her generous Christmas gift. The glowing blue light, turned white hot, somehow keeps the coffee at its perfect temperature which can be set to the desired degree (120-145 degree Fahrenheit and that’s 48.9-62.8º degrees in Celsius – for all my many subscribers spread across the globe or those covering the golf tournament in the outskirts of Paris.

Speaking of which, please don’t categorize this as a rant. It’s a sincere wish.

HOW in the WORLD can an Olympic Golf tournament be staged without a one-day team match play event for gold, silver and bronze medals? Each country to qualify would pick two players to compete in a bracket-type, Match Play tournament, not unlike the WGC tournament which used to be on the PGA schedule. It would add a lot to the golf experience at the Olympics, and maybe add two days for the players to remain on the road. … Mixed doubles would be great too. (Four Ball).

It’s “on” to the rest of the morning:

6:30am – The “regular” alarm clocks ring. Thursday, August 1, 2024 is now, officially beginning in this Boston household.

6:39am – The final threesome of the day – Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay, Joel Girrbachof Switzerland, and Tapio Pulkkanen of Finland – are the first tee. Meanwhile, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama became the clubhouse leader for the first round by shooting an (8-under) (63), three strokes ahead of a group of two players at (-6) and four players (and growing) at (minus 5).

By days end, Hideki Matsuyama, the Japan native and popular PGA Tour player, carded a bogey-free, 8-under (63) to top the 60-athlete, first-round leaderboard on a sultry day in the outskirts of Paris. Round 1 was victim to two weather delays.

August 2, 2024

The second round saw American Xander Schauffele card a 36-hole total of (131), tying the low 36-hole Olympic mark that he recorded at the 2020 in ‘21) Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan closed with a double-bogey (6) for a 3-under (68) in his Friday play, but he leads the field with 15 birdies through the opening two rounds.

Fatigue was kicking in on the second day of the 4:00am (ET) wake-up, never mind the third day.

August 3, 2024

Spain’s Jon Rahm posted his second consecutive (66) and he hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation. Rahm leads the field in Greens in Regulation (87.04%) and Driving Accuracy (80.95%) through three rounds.

Schauffele’s third round score (68) marked his second consecutive Olympics when he, at least, had a share of the 54-hole lead. Not bad. Schauffele can become the first back-to-back medalist in the men’s Olympic golf history.

Former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick of Great Britain withdrew from the Olympic men’s golf competition after he shot an (81) in the third round. He was nursing a thumb injury.

That leads us to the posting of WWYI (Saturday night at 10:00am ET) and the start of the final round of the tournament, beginning at 3:00am but highlighted when the leaders tee-it-up at 6:39am ET). So, if you’re reading this Saturday night, you know the deal.

If you’re reading it on Sunday morning, turn on the Golf Channel.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Buzzword Bingo for NBC’s coverage of the Men’s Olympic basketball tournament. Here’s a Top 10.

  1. International basketball is catching up. (psst, that happened at least 24 years ago).
  2. They check their ego at the door. (psst, there’s no ego check closet).
  3. The level of talent, is incredible. Twelve alpha-dogs.
  4. The USA hasn’t had all that much time to prepare.
  5. They have to play the right way.
  6. They’re playing for one another.
  7. This is bigger than me, individually.
  8. Take care of the basketball and defend the way you can.
  9. You’ve got guys that are willing to sacrifice.
  10. The coaching staff has done an amazing job. (a comment that can go 180-degrees if there’s an upset in the next round when it’s “On to Bercy”

RIP: There’s been far too many Rest in Peace notifications in this missive, but it’s a must to convey sincere condolences to the wife, Taryn Faith, and three daughters of Andy Jasner, a Philadelphia-based writer/reporter known to many of us through his late father, Phil Jasner, who wrote for the Philadelphia Daily News.

One minute Andy, 55, was filing a story on the Philadelphia Phillies, the next, he was gone, a victim of a massive heart attack which shook our world on Friday, August 2. The news spread quickly on Friday afternoon and the weekend. “I am simply speechless over this tragedy,” wrote one WWYI subscriber who emailed this morning.

NOTE: Sign Up for the COMPLETE Sunday Sports Notebook, sent every Saturday at 10:00pm ET to give you that Bulldog Edition kind of feel.

Texas Ends Losing Streak vs Red Sox

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ARLINGTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Texas’ sluggers Jonah Heim and Leody Taveras hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning to help the Rangers end a three-game losing streak by beating the Boston Red Sox 7-4 on Saturday in Texas.

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Heim hit a three-run homer against Boston starter Tanner Houck that tied the game at 3. Taveras followed with a solo home run against Houck to put Texas in front, 4-3.

Josh Smith had three hits for Texas, which had 13 hits in the game.

Boston’s Rob Refsnyder had two solo home runs, an RBI double and a single during a four-hit game. Refsnyder hit his sixth home run of the season in the first inning, and then collected home run No. 7 in the fourth. It was the first multi-homer game of his career.

Jose Leclerc (5-4) earned the win for tossing two-third of an inning of scoreless relief. Leclerc struck out Ceddanne Rafaela with the bases loaded to end the fourth.

Texas closer Kirby Yates recorded four outs to earn his 20th save. Yates entered the game with runners on first and second with two outs in the eighth. He struck out Jarren Duran with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Houck (8-8) allowed six runs on eight hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked two.

Boston’s Rafael Devers extended his hitting streak to 10 games when he doubled in the fourth. Connor Wong followed with an RBI single that extended Boston’s lead to 3-0.

After scoring four runs in their half of the fourth on the home runs by Heim (No. 10) and Taveras (No. 9), the Rangers took a 7-3 lead by adding three runs in the sixth. Ezequiel Duran, Taveras and Smith each had an RBI single in the inning.

The Red Sox sliced their deficit to 7-4 when Refsnyder’s double in the seventh drove in Rafaela, who opened the inning with a single.

Boston outfielder Tyler O’Neill did not play Saturday. Boston manager Alex Cora said O’Neill is dealing with an illness and may not be available Sunday either.

–Field Level Media

Sox Can Hit Struggling Texas Relievers

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ARLINGTON –  (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Texas Rangers, riding a three-game losing streak, will hope to slow the Boston Red Sox’s offense on Saturday night in Texas. Boston opened the three-game series with an 11-6 victory on Friday. Texas has been outscored 29-8 during its skid.

The Red Sox hit three home runs in the Friday win, which raised their road record to 31-22. Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela each hit a two-run blast, and Rafael Devers added a solo shot in the ninth. Devers enters the Saturday contest on a nine-game hitting streak in which he is batting .528 (19-for-36).

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“They’re a good hitting ballclub,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “They’re one of the top offensive teams in baseball. It was a tough night for the pitchers all night, really. … You have to keep battling. That’s all you can do.”

The Rangers have lost six of their past seven games, with the pitching staff compiling a 7.98 ERA in that stretch.

Connor Wong had four of Boston’s 16 hits in the series opener. The Red Sox have at least 10 hits in 12 of their past 15 games.

“Offensively it was an outstanding night,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We got the first one out of the way, which is important. I talked to the staff about it, this whole Fridays and not winning games … it put us in a bad spot going into the weekend. You win that one and then you have two chances to win the series, and we are in the business of winning series. Hopefully we can do it (Saturday).”

The Rangers had not announced a starting pitcher for the Saturday contest.

“We’re going to talk about it, where we’re at,” Bochy said following Friday’s loss. “I think we’re fine, but we will huddle up here soon and talk about the game plan (Saturday) and the next couple days. … If we have to bring somebody up, we’ll do that.”

Boston will go with right-hander Tanner Houck (8-7, 2.79 ERA). Houck had a 2.18 ERA through his first 16 starts this season, when he recorded 101 strikeouts and walked 18 in 103 1/3 innings, but he hasn’t been nearly as effective since then. He has a 5.26 ERA in his past five outings, logging 15 strikeouts and 15 walks over 25 2/3 innings.

“I think just timing issues and delivery just feels a little out of whack as of late, over the past month, but ultimately that’s the way that a full 162 games is going to play out,” Houck said. “You’re not always going to feel your best. You’re not always going to have everything clicking, and it’s about getting back to those days that you feel that and just keep showing up. Don’t really (need) to reinvent the wheel.”

Houck is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against Texas. He has allowed three runs on four hits in seven innings against the Rangers.

Texas received two solo home runs from Cory Seager in the Friday loss. Marcus Semien added a two-run homer for the Rangers, who also got a solo homer from Leody Taveras. Still, it wasn’t enough to keep pace with Boston’s offense.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Score Early, Add to Lead in Rout of Texas Rangers

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ARLINGTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela each hit a two-run home run to lead the Boston Red Sox to an 11-6 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday in Texas.

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Red Sox veteran 3B Rafael Devers added a solo home run and catcher Connor Wong collected four singles for the Red Sox. Boston second baseman Nick Sogard added a two-run single in his major league debut.

Corey Seager of Texas hit two solo home runs among his three hits and had three RBIs and three runs for the Rangers. Marcus Semien added a two-run blast and Leody Taveras a solo shot. All four homers came against Boston starter Kutter Crawford, who has allowed 12 in his last three starts.

Crawford (7-8) earned the win despite giving up five runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Texas has lost six of its last seven games and also saw its five-game home winning streak come to an end.

Texas starter Jose Urena (3-6) surrendered seven runs on eight hits in four innings. Urena made his first start since June 5, when he held Detroit to one run in 6 2/3 innings.

After Seager’s first home run gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the first, Abreu’s two-run homer in the second put Boston in front 2-1. Taveras and Seager went deep in the third inning for a 3-2 lead.

Boston scored four runs in the fourth to go ahead 6-3. Wong and Abreu hit RBI singles for the first two runs, and Sogard added a two-run single.

The Red Sox added a run in the fifth. Duran led off with a triple and scored on Masataka Yoshida’s sacrifice fly.

Rafaela’s home run pushed the lead to 9-3 in the top of the sixth, but Semien answered with his two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning.

Seager drove in Carson Kelly with a sacrifice fly in the seventh to make it 9-6. Boston padded the lead when Devers homered and Dominic Smith doubled home Wong in the ninth inning.

–Field Level Media

Lakers Honor Kobe and Gianna

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – On the symbolic date of 8/2/24, the Los Angeles Lakers unveiled the second of three statues commissioned to honor Kobe Bryant near Crypto.com Arena.

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The new statue depicts Bryant alongside his daughter Gianna. The two were among seven people who died in a Southern California helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020. Kobe Bryant was 41 when he died; Gianna was 13.

 

 

In the statue, the two are seated, with the father’s arm around the daughter as angel wings spread behind them. Kobe Bryant, identified as “Most Valuable Girl Dad,” says in a quote at the base, “Gianna is a beast. She’s better than I was at her age. She’s got it. Girls are amazing. I would have five more girls if I could. I’m a girl dad.”

The date was chosen because 8 and 24 were the numbers Bryant wore in his Hall of Fame career for the Lakers, and 2 was the number Gianna wore.

The same numbers were in play when the Lakers unveiled the first Bryant statue outside their home venue. The team has yet to announce when the third statue will be ready.

Also on Friday, the locker Bryant used at the arena for his final 13 NBA seasons sold at auction for $2.88 million. ESPN, citing auction house Sotheby’s, reported that the amount was a record for a sports locker.

 

 

The locker had a value estimated at $1 million to $1.5 million, according to Sportico.

–Field Level Media

New England Patriots Sign Two

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots signed tackle Kellen Diesch and former UFL safety A.J. Thomas on Friday.

Diesch, 26, signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and has been on the practice squads of the Chicago Bears (2022) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2023). He was released by the Cleveland Browns in May.

Thomas, 24, played for the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions during the 2024 spring season and tallied 23 tackles and three interceptions in 12 games. He played in six games for the Bears from 2022-23 and made four tackles.

The Patriots released tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and running back Deshaun Fenwick to make room on the roster.

–Field Level Media

Kerr Juggles USA Starting Five

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LILLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – USA Basketball’s men’s Olympic team head coach Steve Kerr openly appreciates the adaptable stars on his roster and might make more plug-and-play decisions in the Group C finale against Puerto Rico on Saturday.

Juggling lineups and mixing starters has been part of the plan for Team USA, which is 7-0 since reporting to training camp in Las Vegas last month and 2-0 since arriving at the 2024 Games.

Kerr did not play Boston’s Jayson Tatum in the opener in Paris, then gave Joel Embiid the DNP earlier this week against South Sudan. He plans to blend starting lineups against Puerto Rico with Embiid back with the first five and point guard Jrue Holiday likely to rest with an ankle injury. Tatum and Holiday started against South Sudan.

“It’s basketball, it really doesn’t matter who starts,” said Kevin Durant, who said he’s ready and willing to come off the bench if Kerr prefers. “It’s about really who finished the game, who put their impact on the game while they’re in the game. So I just try to do my best to impact it any way I can.”

Kerr pointed to guard Devin Booker, a supreme scoring guard who plays with the ball in his hands for the Phoenix Suns alongside Durant, as one of the most adaptable players on his roster.

Booker has deferred ball-handling duties to LeBron James and Steph Curry and focused on defending opponents’ top guards.

“Devin is probably the guy who’s been most adaptable to go from a different role in the NBA to a new one here,” Kerr said. “The offense clicks when he’s out there. The defense is really good. That’s why he’s started every game and seems to be good with any combination.”

Puerto Rico enters the matchup as the lowest team in the Pool C standings. But Kerr said he opened meetings Friday stressing to his team that no opponent can be taken lightly if Team USA is serious about being the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinals, which begin Tuesday.

“We talked to them this morning,” Kerr said. “We showed the standings. We showed them the point differential. We want that (No. 1 seed). It gives you the best matchup in the quarterfinals. If we drop down to two or three — which I think is unlikely but we’ve got to take care of our business — we possibly have a much tougher opponent.”