RIO DE JANEIRO — Written in Portuguese on one wall above center court at Carioca Arena is the phrase “Um mundo novo.” Translation: A new world.
It didn’t seem that way in men’s basketball to start the Rio Games, but it’s getting closer.
Threatened by Australia in its previous game, the U.S. men’s team started fast but had to survive a heart-racing final seconds to beat Serbia 94-91 on Friday, the 49th consecutive international tournament win for the Americans.
This one, though, took everything the U.S. team had.
They couldn’t put away the Serbs, who had a chance to tie it in the final seconds, but guard Bogdan Bogdanovic’s 3-pointer from the left wing was a little long and Kevin Durant secured the rebound to keep the relieved Americans’ streak intact.
Kyrie Irving scored 15 points and Durant and Carmelo Anthony had 12 apiece for the U.S. team, which arrived in Brazil lauded as another American super squad and gold-medal lock. However, after a close call against Australia earlier this week and now another against Serbia, the rest of the field might be starting to believe the Americans can be taken.
“We got in our own heads,” Durant said. “We had a great start, great start. We were up almost 20 points. We should have held the lead and we just got sidetracked by stupid stuff, from the calls to the physicality, the extra plays. We got to stay with it. That’s the way it’s going to be out here.”
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Maya Moore scored 12 points, and the U.S. routed Canada 81-51 to clinch Group B.
The U.S. won its 45th straight Olympic game after a sloppy start where the Americans (4-0) had their two lowest scoring quarters in Rio. They led only 18-16 after the first quarter and only could match that total in the second for a 36-22 halftime lead.
TENNIS: Australian Open champ Angelique Kerber will play for the women’s singles gold medal after another big win in 2016.
The second-seeded German beat American Madison Keys 6-3, 7-5 in the semifinals, saving all 10 break points she faced. Kerber will play Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig for gold Saturday.
The seventh-seeded Keys will face two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova for the bronze medal Saturday.
• Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez of Spain won the first tennis gold medal in Rio, beating Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau of Romania 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the men’s doubles final.
Nadal and Lopez won the last three games after trailing 4-3 in the third set.
Steve Johnson and Jack Sock won the bronze for the United States.
• Venus Williams is one victory away from her record-tying fifth Olympic tennis medal. The 36-year-old American and Rajeev Ram reached the mixed doubles semifinals with a 6-3, 7-5 victory against Roberta Vinci and Fabio Fognini of Italy.
MEN’S FENCING: Russia won the team foil event for its sixth fencing medal of the Games.
Russia rallied from five points down to beat France 45-41, capturing its third gold medal in fencing so far.
The U.S. team won bronze, its first medal in the event in 84 years.
The Americans, led by top-ranked Alexander Massialas and Gerek Meinhardt, throttled Italy 45-31 for their third medal in fencing so far in Rio.
MEN’S TRACK CYCLING: The British pursuit squad of Bradley Wiggins, Ed Clancy, Steven Burke and Owain Doull beat Australia in a world-record time of 3 minutes, 50.265 seconds to win its third straight Olympic gold medal in the event.
Wiggins also became the most decorated Olympian in British history with his fifth gold medal and eighth overall.
WOMEN’S TRACK CYCLING: Gong Jinjie and Zhong Tianshi won the gold medal in the team sprint, beating the Russian team of Daria Shmeleva and Anastasia Voinova in the finals.
China broke its own world record in the semifinals, beating Spain with a time of 31.928 seconds.
MEN’S JUDO: France’s Teddy Riner defended his Olympic title in the men’s heavyweight division.
In an uneventful final against Japan’s world No. 2 Hisayoshi Harasawa. Riner won on penalties. He had only one versus the two that Harasawa compiled.
Riner hasn’t lost a match since 2010 and never looked in danger on Friday.
WOMEN’S JUDO: France’s fifth-ranked Emilie Andeol beat defending Olympic champion Idalys Ortiz in the women’s over-78 kilogram division, in a lengthy final that went into overtime.
MEN’S ARCHERY: Korean Ku Bonchan won gold in the individual competition with a 7-3 defeat of Frenchman Jean-Charles Valladont.
Ku had to outlast American Brady Ellison in a shootout in the semifinal. Ellison rallied from a poor final arrow in the shootout to defeat Netherlands’ Sjef van den Berg 6-2 for bronze.
WOMEN’S FIELD: Michell Carter of the United States won gold in the shot put with a throw of 20.63 meters, while New Zealand’s Valarie Adams won silver and Hungary’s Anita Marton bronze.
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