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Durant carries U.S. into semis at Worlds

Thu 9th, September 2010

Istanbul, Turkey (Sports Network) - Kevin Durant poured in 33 points on 11- of-19 shooting, helping the United Stated grind out an 89-79 victory over Russia in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Russell Westbrook was a spark off the bench with 12 points, seven in a third quarter that saw the Americans extend a five-point halftime lead to 14 going into the fourth.

Chauncey Billups scored 15 behind a 4-of-8 showing behind the arc for the U.S., which next plays Saturday against the winner of the Argentina-Lithuania matchup to be held later Thursday.

Russia, which had a healthy height advantage, was led by Sergey Bykov's 17- point effort. Andrey Vorontsevich logged 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Timofey Mozgov, signed by the Knicks in July, scored 13 in defeat.

A back-and-forth first stanza ended 25-25, and the Americans found themselves trailing 35-30 midway through the second before finally solving Russia's zone during a 14-4 run to end the half.

The heavy favorites pulled away in the third, as Westbrook capped an 8-3 run with a steal and fastbreak dunk for a 58-47 cushion with 4 1/2 minutes left.

Bykov converted a three-point play out of a Russia timeout, but Westbrook again went to work, hitting a three and finishing off another turnover with a slam for a 13-point edge.

Tyson Chandler's late bucket made it a 70-56 game with one quarter to play, and the closest the Russians got down the stretch was 84-72 with under four minutes to go. A Durant jumper and three-point play on consecutive possessions put the margin out of reach.

The game marked the 38th anniversary of the Soviet Union's controversial win over the Americans in the gold-medal showdown at the 1972 Munich Olympics

Turkey and Serbia, which knocked out defending champion Spain, will square off in the other semifinal on Saturday.