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The 2021 Olympics men's basketball group stage has come to an end, as teams have been drawn for the knockout stage. Team France, Australia, and Slovenia were impressive in the group stages, winning all three of their respective fixtures.
The competition will resume on August 3 with quarter-finals action in the 2021 Olympics men's basketball. All eight remaining national teams will battle it out to move a step closer to securing the gold medal.
While some players have struggled to announce their presence in the 2021 Olympics men's basketball competition, others have wasted no time dominating the tournament thus far.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top five individual performances from the group stage.
Note: Although Damian Lillard did not make this list, he is worthy of an honorable mention as he knocked down seven 3-pointers against Iran in their 120-66 win.
#5 Kevin Durant (USA) vs Czech Republic
Team USA have not performed at the level that many fans expected heading into the 2021 Olympics. Although the All-Star team completely mauled their opponents in their last two outings, they are not the unbeatable side that fans had hoped for.
Regardless, Team USA sealed their quarter-finals berth at the 2021 Olympics with a 119-84 thrashing of the Czech Republic. Kevin Durant set a new USA scoring mark in that game.
Team USA were down by seven after the first quarter, but KD took over and rallied the team to a 101-59 scoreline for the rest of the game. Although the box score will show that Jayson Tatum registered more points, it was the timing of KD's buckets that set him apart.
With his performance, he overtook Carmelo Anthony as the all-time leading scorer for the USA's men's basketball team at the Olympics. He ended the game with 23 points, eight rebounds, six assists, one block and +32 efficiency.
#4 Patty Mills (Australia) vs Nigeria
Patty Mills led the Aussies to their first victory in the 2021 men's basketball Olympics after defeating Team Nigeria 84-67. He controlled proceedings throughout the game as he came through with big shots to help his team pull away whenever the Nigerians tried to organize a comeback.
Mills was effective on both ends of the court as he forced turnovers that led to scoring on the other end. It was the start of many incredible performances for Team Australia, who will be facing Argentina in the Olympics quarter-finals.
The 32-year-old finished the game with 25 points, four rebounds, six assists, four steals, and maintained a +25 efficiency.
#3 Evan Fournier (France) vs USA
France have been rightly tagged as one of the favorites to win the gold medal in the 2021 Olympics men's basketball tournament. Their 83-76 win over Team USA on Gameday 1 showed their desire to compete for the gold medal in this tournament.
In that game, Evan Fournier led the French team with 28 points to overcome a USA team that was filled with his NBA teammates and opponents. Although Rudy Gobert was the most efficient player for Team France with 14 points and nine rebounds, Fournier's scoring made the difference.
#2 Jordan Nwora (Nigeria) vs Germany
Team Nigeria has crashed out of the Olympics men's basketball competition after failing to register a win in group-stage action. It was a disappointing showing for Team Nigeria, who were considered formidable after their victory over Team USA in an exhibition match.
Jordan Nwora, who joined the team after his championship run with the Milwaukee Bucks, put together an impressive display against Germany in their second group-stage match, but his effort alone was not enough to guarantee Team Nigeria the win. They blew a comfortable lead in the third quarter and fell apart in the fourth to lose the game 92 - 99.
Nwora recorded 33 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal. He also maintained an efficiency of +35 despite coming off the bench. He was locked in from three-point range, making seven of his twelve attempts. However, the rest of the team failed to match his intensity and could not make stops on defense.
#1 Luka Doncic (Slovenia) vs Argentina
Slovenia is the dark horse of the 2021 Olympics, mainly because of Luca Doncic's efforts. Although this is the first Olympic appearance for the Slovenians, the team has shown firm resolve and are looking more like medalists after each game.
Luka Doncic came out with guns blazing in his first Olympics appearance and almost single-handedly took down the 4th-ranked Argentinian team. He is tied for second place in the Olympics' all-time single-game scoring record. The 22-year-old could have comfortably topped the list if he did not check out of the game with over four minutes left to play.
Doncic registered 48 points in 31 minutes, with a field-goal percentage of .621 (18 of 29). He also recorded a double-double as he finished with 11 rebounds. The Slovenian marked his Olympic debut with such an outstanding display, making the Slovenians the team to watch in the competition.
