U.S. edge off Spain 82-76 to enter Olympic men's basketball final

The United States edged off Spain 82-76 to enter the final of the men's basketball tournament in the Olympics for the third consecutive time here on Friday.

The U.S., which won the last two Olympics in Beijing and London, will face the winners of the other semifinal between Australia and Serbia on Sunday.

Klay Thompson led with 22 points and Kevin Durant chipped in 14 for USA, which never trailed in the game.

"I want to win the gold medal in Olympics. I'll have a better game in the gold medal game," Thompson said.

Pau Gasol had 23 points and eight rebounds for Spain, which lost to the U.S. in the finals of the last two Games.

"I'm always looking forward to playing for the national team. But when you get older, it's little bit harder. We'll see. I'll take one year a time, and I'll analyze. When things work well, I'll see the best I can do," the 36-year-old Gasol said.

Spain were down by 45-39 in the first half with a big help from the bench, which contributed 32 points compared to the 17 from the U.S..

The European champions never stopped the chasing steps, but their hope was crushed every time they tried to cut the deficit under five points.

USA beat Spain on the board by 53-41 as the Americans grabbed 21 offensive rebounds. Endit