SAITAMA, Japan — There were 13 seconds left on the clock when Kevin Durant found himself gliding to the basket with no one around him.
He ascended smoothly to the rim and dunked the ball with two hands. When the buzzer sounded moments later, Draymond Green jogged over to Durant, grabbed his hand and thumped his chest. It seemed like a gesture of both celebration and appreciation.
Having one of the most complete scorers in the universe on your basketball team has its advantages.
That is a lesson Green and his United States teammates were happy to learn on Tuesday afternoon — a luxury they have needed to exploit over these past couple weeks — as Durant took control of their do-or-die Olympic quarterfinal matchup against Spain, scoring 29 points to lead the Americans to an initially nervy, but ultimately comfortable, 95-81 win.