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It was an ugly first half for both sides, but Team USA rallied late in the second quarter to take a five point lead over Russia at halftime.
Russia, who's been led by Sergey Bykov (10 points) and Timofey Mozgov (9 points), made it hard on the Americans early on, and at various points led by as much as five points. Since then, though, they've gone cold from the field, allowing Team USA to go on a 12-0 run, ultimately ceding control to the Americans.
For Team USA, Kevin Durant continues to be the engine that keeps the team running smoothly--he scored more than half of the USA points in a back-and-forth first quarter--and has 19 points at the half. Beyond Durant, though, the scoring is spread thin, and execution has been inconsistent.
We'll have a full recap after the game wraps, and you can watch the second half on ESPN 3.
Until then... Remember: Kevin Durant plays for Oklahoma City AMERICA.
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Odds Shark 
Team USA Pulls Away In 2nd Half, Advances Past Russia To FIBA Semis, 89-79
In the second quarter, Team USA wasn't so much "good" as Russia was "bad."
But in the third, it was a whole different story. With Kevin Durant leading the way and the American defense forcing turnovers from the Russians, Team USA stretched their lead from 5 to 14, and playing some of the best basketball of the tournament.
While Kevin Durant remained the mainstay, Russell Westbrook and Chauncey Billups both keyed the surge in the second half with some hot outside shooting, while Lamar Odom did the little things to keep the offense moving and Russians stagnant on the other end.
Especially considering the early adversity, the win has to be reassuring for USA Basketball. Not only did Durant perform as always, but the Russians were essentially run off the court in the second half. For a young team that's susceptible to playing down to competition and essentially "beating themselves", today had to be encouraging.
The U.S. will play the winner of today's Argentina-Lithuania game on Saturday, and until then, I will be watching this video on continuous loop.
Sep 09 1:04p by Andrew Sharp - 0 comments