Excused to leave the postgame news conference, Chris Paul said thank you, walked to the end of the dais, lost his balance and nearly fell.

He stayed on his feet. Disaster averted.

''Don't get hurt,'' American coach Mike Krzyzewski said, relieved to see his starting point guard was OK.

The Americans are fine, too.

They haven't had a major misstep in this tournament. They can't afford one now.

Not three wins from Olympic gold.

Draining five 3-pointers, one deeper than the next, Kevin Durant scored 17 points in the third quarter and finished with 28 as the U.S. men's team made a defense-be-damned statement before entering the medal round with a 126-97 win over pesky rival Argentina on Monday night.

With their fourth blowout in five games, the Americans (5-0) moved into the quarterfinals, where they'll meet Australia (3-2) on Wednesday night and proclaimed that if anyone is to beat them in the days ahead they're going to have to outshoot these run-and-gunslingers from the U.S.

Two games after Carmelo Anthony's record-setting performance, it was Durant's turn to put on a show. Once Durant got hot, there was nothing Argentina could do.

''Anybody in their right mind, when he gets shooting the ball like that, there's only one thing to do: Get the ball to him,'' Paul said. ''Luckily, we have a team that has the presence of mind to get it to him. He's unbelievable. We have to yell at him to shoot the ball and as you see, he usually makes it.''

Leading by just one at halftime, the U.S. outscored Argentina (3-2) 42-17 in the third quarter, which began with LeBron James flexing his muscles inside. James scored seven quick points, forcing the Argentines to play defense a little closer to the basket. They moved and Durant made them pay.