One of the most highly anticipated matchups of the Olympics didn’t quite live up to its expectations. After a slow start, Team USA surged to a dominant 110-84 win over Serbia. The strong start sets the team up well for the rest of the group stage, and gives it a confidence boost after a near-loss to South Sudan ahead of the games.
Despite trailing early, the U.S. came back largely due to 23 points from Kevin Durant, who returned after being sidelined for most of camp with a calf injury. Durant went a perfect 5 for 5 from beyond the arc and changed the dynamic of the game when he came on in the first quarter, scoring 21 points in the first half alone. LeBron James also had a dominant game with 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
If only David Stern could’ve seen the show. The late NBA commissioner’s dream of growing the highest levels of basketball far outside of the United States’ borders couldn’t be more evident than the reigning, three-time NBA MVP heading into the opening game of his Olympics tournament to face Team USA. But Nikola Jokić couldn’t carry Serbia to victory on Sunday. The Denver Nuggets big man scored 20 points for his home nation, but could not make a dent in the United States’ second-half lead.
James, Durant and the rest of Team USA’s future Hall of Famers will continue on in Paris, facing South Sudan and Puerto Rico in the group stage. The team is looking for an eighth gold medal in nine tries since the Dream Team first featured NBA players at the Olympics in 1992.
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Final: USA 110, Serbia 84
The U.S. gets a resounding win over Serbia to start off the Olympic group stage.
Kevin Durant, who is Team USA’s all-time leading scorer in men’s basketball, continues to add to his tally. He now has more than 450 points in an American uniform.
Easy to forget that Sunday marked Stephen Curry’s Olympic debut. The guard scored 11 points and pulled down three rebounds in his first Olympic game.
The U.S. will face South Sudan, who nearly beat them in an exhibition match, on Wednesday. South Sudan had their own win on Sunday, beating Puerto Rico 90-79.
Team USA’s biggest problem against South Sudan was hitting their shots, but that wasn’t a problem today: The U.S. went 62% on field goals, and 56% on three-pointers out of 32 attempts.
Even with the dominant win, LeBron James isn’t satisfied: The veteran said postgame that there’s still more to do, and that they need to work on turnovers. The U.S. had 17 turnovers, with Serbia scoring 25 points off of the Americans’ errors.
“We’ll be better coming up on Wednesday,” James said.
Despite his best efforts — and his 20 points — big man Nikola Jokić was unable to lift Serbia over the U.S. on his own. Bogdan Bogdanovic adds 14 points and Ognjen Dobric chips in 13 points for the Serbian team in the loss.
Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic didn’t stop to take questions in the mixed zone after the game. LeBron James and Steph Curry were full of praise for KD, who said he was still trying to get his wind back after his first game since the playoffs.
It’s a true group effort for Team USA, as Kevin Durant leads the team with 23 points — going 5-for-5 on three-pointers — and LeBron James pitches in a near-triple-double with 21 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Jrue Holiday gets 15 points, Devin Booker gets 12 points, and Stephen Curry and Anthony Edwards get 11 each.
LeBron and Kevin Durant both check out of the game — presumably for good as this one appears to be in the bag.
Nikola Jokić looks pretty bummed (and tired) on the bench as Serbia takes a timeout. The Nuggets big man has 20 points in nearly 30 minutes on the floor, but has been unable to chip away at the U.S.’s lead.
Steph is having himself some fun.
The U.S. is up 91-73 with five left in the fourth quarter, and things have continued to groove. LeBron James and Kevin Durant will be the story of this game, but Edwards, Holiday and Curry have chipped in some points of their own.
End of 3Q: USA 84, Serbia 65
Team USA is running away with it now. They’re now up 84-65 heading into the fourth quarter.
Durant currently leads the team with 23 points, and LeBron James is holding up with 18 points. The U.S. bench is loving it.
Kevin Durant has checked back into the game to chorus of cheers. He has at least one famous fan in the crowd pulling for him too.
Beautiful pass from James to a wide-open Jrue Holiday, followed by a great assist from Steph Curry to a James layup. Team USA is finding a groove; can they keep it up?
69-57, U.S.
Serbian fans REALLY don’t like Joel Embiid, raining down thundering boos and whistles every time he touches the ball or is shown onscreen. He’s given the flagrant foul instead of James for taking down (holding up?) a Serbian player in the lane.
Stoppage to sort things out after a scuffle between Aleksa Avramovic and LeBron James. Serbia is calling for a flagrant; we’ll see what the referees say.
LeBron James gets an easy layup to start the second half and we’re off! Jrue Holiday adds in a three-pointer and the U.S. is starting things off well. 63-51, Team USA.
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