The United States, the heavy favorite, continued its march toward a seventeenth Olympic basketball title with another emphatic victory in their third and final group C match of the preliminary round in Lille, this time against Puerto Rico (83-104), which was eliminated from the Paris 2024 tournament.

With a roster full of stars, the standout performer in this new version of the "Dream Team," aiming for a fifth consecutive gold, was Anthony Edwards. With a total of 26 points, he emerged as the top scorer in a game that the United States secured by playing at full throttle only in the second quarter.

Joel Embiid, who hadn’t played a minute against South Sudan, returned to the starting lineup in place of Anthony Davis, joining the still-untouchable LeBron, Curry, and Devin Booker, as well as Jason Tatum. Under the guidance of Steve Kerr—a coach whose nine NBA championship rings, four as a coach (with Golden State), put him on par with, if not above, the stars of his team—Embiid bolstered the lineup.

LeBron James matched the eight points of Durant, Curry, and Tatum. However, the most productive player during the first half, with twelve points, was Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves' guard, who will celebrate his twenty-third birthday in Paris on Monday. With a promising future ahead, Edwards is staking his claim among the greats.

Edwards, who seeks a seat at the table of the basketball elite, also finished as the top scorer at the final buzzer, ending with 26 points and the highest player efficiency rating of the game, 25. Puerto Rico’s top scorer was Alvarado with 18 points, and the best player efficiency rating went to Romero (20).

After a strong second-quarter surge, Team USA paced themselves and finished the third quarter with a 28-point lead.

Edwards completed his impressive performance, and the United States didn’t need to exert themselves to surpass the century mark again, winning the game by 'only' 21 points (83-104) after easing off in the final quarter (which Puerto Rico won). They now await their next opponent on Wednesday, at the Paris Bercy arena.