Paris 2024: Kevin Durant Leads Team USA to Victory Over Serbia in Olympic Basketball Opener
Paris Olympics 2024 showdown: After a successful injury layoff, Kevin Durant turned in a standout effort to lead the United States to a decisive 110-84 victory over Serbia to start their Olympic basketball defense.
With a calf injury that kept him out of the USA’s entire Olympic preparation, Durant finished with 23 points on an almost flawless 8 of 9 field goal shooting.
With a calf injury that kept him out of the USA’s entire Olympic build-up, Durant finished with 23 points on an almost flawless 8-of-9 shooting night to lead the defending champions, who are aiming for a fifth consecutive Olympic title, to a decisive victory.
The all-time USA leader in points, points-per-game, and field goals, the 35-year-old Phoenix Suns standout, came into the game in the first quarter with the star-studded American lineup losing 19–14.
The 14-time NBA All-Star then went on to take over, pouring in a string of buckets to get the Americans back on pace. He was a member of the American Olympic teams that won gold in 2012, 2016, and Tokyo three years prior.
LeBron James scored twenty-one points, Jrue Holiday contributed fifteen, and Devin Booker had twelve. With 20 points, Denver star Nikola Jokic led Serbia in scoring.
The United States of America is the clear favorite to win the Olympic gold medal. Their team, which includes a plethora of NBA players including James, Durant, and Stephen Curry, has landed in France.
Its next group match is on Wednesday against South Sudan, and on Saturday it concludes the first round in Lille against Puerto Rico.
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Based on their performance on Sunday, Golden State coach Steve Kerr’s team should be difficult to stop when the 12-team competition shifts to Paris on August 6 for the elimination stages.
Leading three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic, Serbia jumped out to an early 10-2 lead in Sunday’s match at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille.
However, Durant’s bench debut energized the US lineup, and once they discovered their shooting stroke, the outcome was never in doubt. Vasilije Micic gave Durant a clear body check to start the game, sending the 35-year-old, who stands 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 meters), crashing to the floor.
Nevertheless, Durant handled the hardness of the Serbian defense with ease and tortured the Europeans with a display of faultless shooting to help the USA win 25–20 at the end of the first quarter.
The Americans led 58-49 at the half thanks to a fantastic jump shot by Durant to close off the second quarter. by then on, the champions appeared like they would never let up as they cruised to victory.
