Kevin Durant became the United States' all-time leading scorer at the Olympic Games in a 122-87 rout over Brazil to reach the semi-finals on Tuesday.

He added 11 points for Team USA in just 21 minutes, surpassing Lisa Leslie's tally of 488 to make him the top-scorer of any American basketball player, male or female, at the Games.

Joel Embiid, greeted by a chorus of boos from the French fans after passing on the chance to play for their national team, was the star though, as he got 14 points and seven rebounds in the first half to set the USA on their way to victory.

LeBron James also orchestrated the game, for 12 minutes at least, making snapshot passes as he piled up nine assists and 12 points. However, his game came to an early end when he took an elbow to the face from Georginho De Paula.

Devin Booker top scored for the USA with 18 points as they shared the load, and though Bruno Caboclo got 24 points for Brazil, he could not inspire a shock upset against the reigning champions.

Steve Kerr's team are chasing a fifth consecutive gold medal but will have to face Serbia, who they beat in their competition opener, for a place in the final.

Brazil cruised into the final of the Olympic Games with a 4-2 victory over Spain at the Orange Velodrome on Tuesday.

Salma Paralluelo netted two late consolations, but the damage was already done as Irena Paredes' own goal, Gabi Portilho, Adriana and Kerolin denied the world champions a place in the gold-medal match.

Brazil were still without legend Marta after she lost her appeal over a two-game ban, but her team-mates ensured she would bow out of Olympics action with the chance to play for the top prize.

Spain were behind after just six minutes as Cata Coll's poor clearance struck the unfortunate Paredes on the side to send it cannoning over the line.

La Roja struggled to gain a foothold, and Brazil doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time thanks to Portilho's composure when one-on-one with Coll.

Adriana made sure of their progress off the bench in the 71st minute – she struck the bar but was then on hand to head Portilho's nod-down in from close range.

That sparked Spain into life and Paralluelo's looping header snuck in at the far post before Alexia Putellas rattled the crossbar and forced Lorena into a smart stop to slow down the comeback attempts.

Kerolin delivered the hammer blow in the opening seconds of stoppage time by sliding her low shot through Coll's legs, though Paralluelo would have the last say, poking in her second of the match from close range in the 112th minute. 

Data Debrief: World champions denied

Spain were aiming to become the first side to win Olympic gold after lifting the Women's World Cup, but they just fell short at the final hurdle after being outplayed.

La Roja's late flurry of chances meant they finished with more shots than Brazil (26 to their 17) and more on target (11 compared to seven).

Brazil's dominance showed in other ways though, as they created an expected goals (xG) of 3.27 and had a total of six big chances, as they secured a meeting with the United States in the final on Saturday.

St. Lucia’s Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred continued her brilliant showing at the Paris Games with silver in the final of the Women’s 200m at the Stade de France on Monday.

The 23-year-old recovered from a less than ideal start with a strong finish to cross the line second in 22.08.

Gold went to American Gabby Thomas who ran 21.82 while another American, Brittany Brown, took bronze in 22.20.

Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita ran 22.22 and 22.23, respectively for fourth and fifth while Nigeria’s Favour Ofili ran 22.24 in sixth.

American McKenzie Long (22.42) and Ivory Coast’s Jessika Gbai (22.70) rounded out the top eight.

Gabby Thomas dominated the women's 200m final to win her first-ever Olympic gold medal on Tuesday. 

The American was the favourite going into the race following the withdrawal of Jamaica's Shericka Jackson and stormed across the finish line in 21.83 seconds.

Julien Alfred, who claimed Saint Lucia's first-ever Olympic medal by winning the 100m sprint on Saturday, made up ground in the last few metres to take second in 22.08 seconds and add a silver medal to her collection.

Meanwhile, there was a three-way photo finish for third, with bronze eventually going to Thomas' compatriot Brittany Brown, who edged across the line in 22.20 seconds.

Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita finished just short of a place on the podium, with just three-hundredths of a second separating them and Brown. 

Cyriel Dessers salvaged a last-gasp draw for Rangers in a 1-1 draw with Dynamo Kyiv in their Champions League third-round qualifier first leg on Tuesday.

It looked like Andriy Yarmolenko's strike would give the Ukrainian side the advantage heading into the second leg next week, but the visitors dug deep to level the score.

Rangers made a decent start to the game but were punished for Ridvan Yilmaz's loose pass, as Vladyslav Vanat capitalised by flashing it into the box for Yarmolenko to turn home.

The visitors pushed for an equaliser, with Ross McCausland hitting the post before Heorhiy Bushchan made a fine save to keep out Dessers' pacey shot.

And it was the Nigerian that eventually found the breakthrough for Rangers as he darted in to poke Vaclav Cerny's cross past Bushchan with the last kick of the game in the 94th minute.

Data Debrief: Dessers saves the day

For so long, it looked like Rangers would be heading back to Hampden Park next Tuesday with a deficit to overturn, but Dessers' threat finally paid off.

Philippe Clement's side have started the season with back-to-back draws though, having played a 0-0 stalemate with Hearts in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend, and he will be keen to get their first win soon.

Although Dynamo could not hold out for the win, they are now unbeaten in their last 12 home matches in all competitions, winning 10 and drawing two.

In a repeat of the final at the World Championships last year in Budapest, Jamaica’s Wayne Pinnock was narrowly beaten by Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglu in the final of the Men’s long jump at the Paris Olympic Games at the Stade de France on Tuesday.

Jamaica’s Pinnock had a consistent series with a best jump of 8.36m but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Greek from adding to his extensive list of global gold medals.

Tentoglu’s winning jump of 8.48m also came in the second round.

Italian 19-year-old Mattia Furlani produced 8.34m to take Italy’s first medal in the event in 40 years.

The other Jamaican in the final, Carey McLeod, didn’t have his best day with 7.82m to finish 12th.

France are through to their second consecutive Olympic semi-final after brushing aside Canada 82-73 in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Canada were unbeaten coming into this game after a strong showing in the competition so far, but had no answers against the hosts and their raucous home support.

Canada's game plan limited Victor Wembanyama to a supporting role as he scored just seven points, but that allowed Guerschon Yabusele and Isaia Cordinier to shine as they scored 22 and 20 points respectively.

France made a strong start, storming into a 19-point lead at the start of the second half, though Canada clawed themselves back to within five points with only four minutes remaining - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led them with 27 points.

The comeback soon stalled though, as Evan Fournier put together seven quick points to send France cruising into the next round as they aim to better their silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics.

They will face Germany for a chance to play in the gold-medal match, while Canada have now failed to make it to the final four at the Olympics since 1984.

Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton and Shiann Salmon booked spots in the women’s 400m hurdles final at the Paris Olympic Games following contrasting performances in their respective semi-finals at Stade de France on Tuesday.

Like she has done all season, Clayton went out hard and relaxed somewhat mid-race, before powering home to win semi-final one in a flat 53.00s. She took American Jasmine Jones (53.83s) into the final with her.

American World Record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone cruised to victory in semi-final two in 52.13s, ahead of Frenchwoman Louise Maraval (53.83s), while Jamaica’s Janieve Russell (54.65s) battled hard for fourth but missed a spot in the final.

Meanwhile, Salmon ran a well-paced race for third in semi-final three. She stopped the clock in a personal best of 53.13s, which was good for one of the two non-automatic qualifying spots.

The race was won by gold medal favorite Femke Bol of the Netherlands in an easy 52.57s. American Anna Cockrell (52.90s) was second, while Canada’s Savannah Sutherland (53.80s) also progressed as a non-automatic qualifier.

The final is scheduled for Thursday, August 8.

Sophia Smith's extra-time strike booked the United States a place in the Olympic Games final with a 1-0 win over Germany on Tuesday.

Mallory Swanson was denied a winner in normal time, and though Germany pushed for a late equaliser, Emma Hayes will take charge of a final in her first tournament as the USA's head coach. 

Unlike in the group-stage meeting between these sides, which finished 4-1 to the dominant Stars and Stripes, it was Germany who almost took a first-half lead, with Alyssa Naeher reacting quickly to get down and push Jule Brand's low shot wide.

In the 86th minute, Mallory Swanson thought she had snatched a late winner – she latched onto Trinity Rodman's throughball and drilled her low shot across goal into the bottom corner, but the offside flag denied her.

Swanson turned provider five minutes into extra time, as Smith timed her run to perfection, darting in behind to beat Berger for power with a wonderful effort.

There was late drama though, as Naeher brilliantly smothered Laura Freigang's close-range header before Smith was denied a second goal at the other end by Berger's quick thinking.

Data Debrief: Smith's touch of gold

Smith has been in top form during the Olympics and netted her third goal in the competition as she carried her team into their 11th major tournament final.

She is also the second USA player to score in at least three consecutive appearances against Germany, after Abby Wambach - five straight from 2009-12.

Meanwhile, it was familiar heartache for Germany as they were eliminated in the knockout rounds of a major tournament (Olympics and World Cup) for the 10th time, with half of those coming at the USA's hands. 

Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem ‘The Dream’ Richards and Grenada’s Kirani James ensured the Caribbean will have two shots at a medal in the men’s 400m at the Paris Olympic Games, as both progressed to the final after tidy semi-final performances at the Stade de France on Tuesday.

Richards, hunting his first Olympic Games medal, finished second in semi-final one in 44.33s, behind American Quincy Hall, who won in 43.95s.

James, a three-time Olympic medallist in the event, seems poised to add to his tally as he rekindled his form of old with a blistering season’s best 43.78s clocking in winning semi-final two. It was just outside his personal best of 43.74s.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s lone semi-finalist, Jevaughn Powell (44.91s), produced a gallant performance for fourth in semi-final three, but it was not enough to progress.

The other finalists are Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith (44.07s), American Michael Norman (44.26s), and Christopher Bailey (44.31s), as well as Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga (43.81) and Samuel Ogazi (44.71s) of Nigeria.

The final is scheduled for Wednesday August 7.

Iga Swiatek says she is "hungry for more" after claiming the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.

Swiatek has been a dominant force at Roland-Garros, winning four of the last five French Opens, including this year's, after cruising past Jasmine Paolini.

The Pole was the favourite going into the Games too, and looked set to make good on that promise as she picked up where she left off on the clay court.

However, she suffered a shock straight-sets defeat to eventual gold-medallist Zheng Qinwen in the semi-finals, though she recovered to beat Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova in the bronze-medal match to claim Poland's first-ever tennis medal at the Olympics.

Reflecting on her time in Paris, Swiatek acknowledged the rollercoaster of emotions that came with the tournament and how much she has progressed since competing in Tokyo three years ago.

"After a couple of days, I feel ready to sum up this chapter... Joy, happiness, sadness, disappointment, satisfaction, hunger for more, pride and so many other emotions, thoughts... I'm still figuring it out, and I feel how valuable this experience was to me," Swiatek said in a post on social media.

"Maybe in the future, I will assess two weeks with a bigger picture and better perspective, but I already see a lot. First of all, how much progress I've made since Tokyo. How much I can do, how many opportunities I have to become a better player and human.

"But what's most important is how much I've experienced here. It was a special time that wouldn't be possible without my team and my family. Thank you for what you did for me.

"Zheng Qinwen, Donna Vekic, huge congrats to you! I'm grateful I could share the Olympic podium with you two."

Swiatek recently pulled out of the Canadian Open, but she will be back on the WTA Tour next week to compete in Cincinnati as she prepares for the US Open at the end of the month.

The 23-year-old, who is targeting her second grand slam win in New York, also expressed her pride at seeing tennis take the spotlight in Paris.

"When I'm thinking about the Olympics and tennis, I'm so proud how our sport was pictured in Paris.

"So many amazing matches, inspirational stories, amazing pictures from the opening ceremony where tennis players had a special place.

"We should appreciate that tennis plays such an important role in the world of sports. I'm happy that my story is part of it."

Washington Sundar believes India's third and final ODI against Sri Lanka presents an opportunity to prepare for next year's Champions Trophy. 

India face the prospect of a first ODI series defeat against the Lions in 27 years after their 32-run defeat in their second Test at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

Rohit Sharma hit India's highest total with the bat, scoring 64 runs from 44 balls, with the match belonging to Sri Lanka's Jeffery Vandersay, who took 6-33.

"It is an opportunity for us to go out there and put our hands up and win those critical situations," Sundar said.

"Obviously with the big tournaments coming up, we will be in similar situations and it will be important to find ways as to what we can do to win those critical situations especially in similar conditions against quality spin attack.

"I think whatever we have done in this series so far, we will take that as a learning, obviously try and move ahead and win the game tomorrow in all aspects of the game."

"We are quality players of spin, matter of finding a way."

Sundar, did however, come to the defence of India's batters, having struggled against Sri Lanka's spinners in challenging conditions in their previous encounter. 

"We are quality players of spin. We've always played in these kinds of wickets, even at home, in Test matches, and in different formats," Sundar said. 

"Even domestic cricket, we play a lot of games in such wickets. And we know our players have done really well, especially in the middle order, batting against spin."

"So it's just a matter of finding a way, their own individual self and trying to get the job done.

"Everyone knows it's quite a challenging wicket. Obviously, the Indian team has always put its hands up, especially when the challenge arises.

"And that's when we've been very good, both with bat and ball, and we've come out flying colours out of the challenging situations."

The defeat last time out was the first in Gautam Gambhir's reign as the new India head coach, having breezed to a 3-0 series win in their T20I series in July. 

Sundar has said the team have tried to implement the new tactics introduced by the 42-year-old, something he knows will take time to come to fruition. 

"There has been a lot of input from him," Sundar started. "He is a high-quality player of spin.

"We have always seen him putting up great performances, especially in such wickets against quality spin.

"That is one of the reasons we came out here today to practice and try and find a way and try and do those small little changes tactically and be prepared and ready for tomorrow's game and be really on top of our game in all aspects."

The New York Knicks named Jalen Brunson as their new captain on Tuesday.

He is the team's first captain in six years, with Lance Thomas the last in the 2018-19 season, and the 36th overall.

Brunson has established himself in the team since arriving in 2022, helping the team to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in both seasons since leaving the Dallas Mavericks.

He averaged 28.7 points, 6.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds over 35.4 minutes in 77 games in the regular season.

Brunson also became the first player in NBA history to score at least 40 points and get at least five assists in four consecutive playoff games.

"The New York Knicks have a deep and storied history, and today we are immensely proud to add to that lineage by naming Jalen Brunson as our captain," said Knicks president Leon Rose.

"Jalen is a natural-born leader, and I am confident he will continue to represent our organization, fans, city and his team-mates with the same heart, grit and class that he has displayed each and every day since he came to New York."

Brunson earned his first All-Star nod last season and finished fifth in the voting for the NBA MVP award. 

Serbia completed the biggest comeback in Olympic basketball history as they defeated Australia 95-90 in overtime.

Nikola Jokic had 21 points as Serbia overturned a 24-point deficit in Tuesday's quarter-final tie.

Adding to his points tally, Jokic also registered 14 rebounds and eight assists. Team-mate Bogdan Bogdanovic was also on form and finished with 17 points, five rebounds, and six assists.

While Australia had led by 24 points after 13 minutes, a stellar third quarter from Serbia saw them rally to lead.

Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists Australia edged the fourth quarter to force the first overtime of the competition at 78-78 but Jokic's Serbia proved too strong in OT.

They will face either the reigning Olympic champions United States or Brazil in the semis.

On the other side of the draw, Germany overcame Giannis Antetokounmpo's Greece 76-63 to reach their first-ever Olympic semi-finals.

The World Cup champions remain unbeaten in the competition despite Antetokounmpo's 22 points.

Franz Wagner’s 20 points helped the Germans overturn a 12-point deficit to line up a semi-final with the winner of France versus Canada.

"I think it speaks to our maturity," Wagner said. "We even talked about it at half-time, not everything's going to go perfect all the time.

"So you kind of recover from that and adjust and react. I thought we did a good job of responding."

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.