PARIS — If there's one thing Joel Embiid has learned during the Olympics, it's that the French can boo him but no one here can stop him from doing the crotch chop.
The American center's comfort level dealing with adversity mirrored that of the rest of his teammates Tuesday as Team USA put on a clinic in a 122-87 quarterfinal victory over Brazil. The team is now two wins from a fifth consecutive gold medal and is set up for another meeting with Serbia in the semifinals Thursday.
Kevin Durant added 11 points for Team USA, passing legend Lisa Leslie for the most points in American Olympic history.
Not only did Embiid laugh his way through the jeers from those still annoyed that he passed on France's offer to join its national team, but he was all too happy to pull out one of his favorite celebrations with the WWE-inspired chop maneuver. Embiid has been fined twice — for $60,000 — for it by the NBA, but on this night league commissioner Adam Silver was at Bercy Arena only as a fan.
«Oh no, they still might find a way [to fine me], but that felt good,» Embiid said with a smile. «It's good to have fun, too, because at the end of the day, you got to take something out of this experience.»
The U.S. needed some production from Embiid against a Brazil team with a strong front line. He was dominant right from the start, cleaning the glass effectively and showing off his classic mix of interior and perimeter scoring.
In 12 devastating minutes of work in the first half, Embiid put in 14 points with seven rebounds. Brazil was helpless in dealing with him as he made 5 of 6 shots, including two 3-pointers. The boos from the fans ebbed, which only seemed to encourage Embiid to ask for more of them.
Embiid did have a minor ankle turn, and
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