The U.S. men’s basketball team might have won gold in this summer’s Olympics if Kevin Durant wasn’t on the roster. But one big takeaway from the team’s exhibitions in the lead up to the Paris Games was that it wouldn’t be easy.
Without the nation’s all-time leading Olympic scorer, the U.S. went 5-0 but played three games within surprisingly small margins, including a narrow one-point win over South Sudan.
In Durant’s return from a calf injury Sunday for their Olympic opener against a Nikola Jokic-led Serbian team, the U.S. cruised to a 110-84 victory. And Durant was the catalyst off the bench, scoring a game-high 23 points on a near-perfect 8-of-9 shooting performance.
For a half, he was perfect, hitting his first eight shots including five three-pointers for 21 points in fewer than nine minutes on the floor. Some players get rusty, Durant just gets buckets.
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 28, 2024
Team USA was already a -550 favorite at BetMGM to win gold before anyone knew how much Durant would have to offer coming off injury. His performance will only reinforce their status as favorite. The win over Serbia, whom the U.S. also beat by 26 in exhibitions, brings the team a step closer to securing Group C, which also includes Puerto Rico and South Sudan. They play the latter next on Wednesday.
Durant wasn’t the only American player with a big game against Serbia. LeBron James added 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, seven rebounds and nine assists, and six players scored in double figures as the team shot 62% from the field overall.
The Case of the Golden Idol has done so well that it's getting a free definitive edition upgrade
I'm terrified for my free time after a few hours with the Dead Cells developer's new frantic co-op roguelike out this month
Epic Boss Tim Sweeney says Unreal Engine 6 will be a 'metaverse' joining Fortnite and other Unreal games, including an upcoming 'persistent universe' in development with Disney
Disney Dreamlight Valley's next free update, Jungle Getaway, will introduce two new characters
Вдохновение от Образцовой: Таланты, продолжающие традиции
Оркестр Бутмана выступит в Санкт-Петербурге
Дистрибьюция музыки в вк. Яндекс музыка дистрибьюция. Цифровая дистрибьюция музыка. Дистрибьюция музыки под ключ.
«Человек поет такие песни! Вы бы никогда не подумали, что он такой козёл!» Певица Бьянка рассказала о домогательствах известного певца в студии «Шоу Воли» на ТНТ
