ISTANBUL, TURKEY (BNO NEWS) — Team USA Basketball on Thursday defeated the Russian national team to advance to the semi-finals of the world championship.

The 2010 FIBA World Championship, held in Istanbul, Turkey, are ready to host their “final four” as Team USA will be awaiting the winner of the Argentina-Lithuania game. The other semi-final game is set between this year’s host, Turkey, and Serbia.

Team USA won Thursday’s game 89-79 as the final score. Kevin Durant led all scores with 33 points, while Lamar Odom and Chauncey Billups led the U.S with 12 rebounds and 5 assists, respectively.

After a close first quarter that featured five lead changes, the U.S. ended the first half on top, 44-39, but it was at the start of the second half when they pulled away, reaching a double-digit lead for the first time in the game during the third quarter at 58-47. Billups and Russell Westbrook combined for 15 points in the third.

The USA pushed their lead to as many as 18 twice in the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Russians were able to get within 84-72 on Timofey Mozgov’s dunk with 3:28 left to play, but the deficit was too much.

“I would like to congratulate Russia for playing such a terrific game. Coach [David] Blatt has had an amazing career coaching in Russia and the way his team played today shows the high quality of coaching he gives his players. I thought we were ready and played hard. It was a very well earned win against a terrific team with a great coach,” USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

“I congratulate coach K and his great staff and their wonderful team. One of the things that I mostly appreciate about USA basketball under coach K, is that they recognize how to play the European game and still maintain that advantage that the American game gives them. We tried hard to stop them and there were moments that we were successful, but in all honesty, the game was in the control of the USA team,” Russia’s head coach Blatt said.