The U.S. men's basketball team opened their 2024 Olympics campaign with an impressive 110-84 victory over Nikola Jokic and Serbia.
Many wondered how Team USA would do in their opening game after struggling to beat South Sudan and Germany in their final two exhibition contests. But outside of a slow 10-2 start, the Americans showed poise and the competitive fire needed to win the gold medal.
After the win, Kevin Durant said all the exhibition games they played prepared the team for a great opening night.
"Coach has been doing a great job of keeping us on our toes and letting us know how important each day is," KD said . "So we try to come together pretty quickly I think the beauty of tonight is we played a lot of random basketball on the offensive side."
They played better without the sets
Although Team USA won all five of their exhibition games, they looked shaky at times while trying to adjust to Steve Kerr 's offensive system. But on Sunday, the squad ran a more free-flowing offense dictated by their individual talents, and the results were impressive.
Durant came off the bench after many wondered whether he would play because of a calf injury. KD sat out all of the team's five exhibition games, and his status for Sunday's contest wasn't known until game day. However, when it was time to play, he showed why he is Team USA's all-time leading scorer with an incredible outing in the first half.
"I mean, I've been playing ball my whole life," the superstar forward continued. "It's just basketball at the end of the day. So I was trying to follow the game plan, be there for my teammates on the defensive end and when a ball can touch my hand, be aggressive."
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KD was unconscious in the first half
With the Americans struggling in the first quarter, Durant was the first man off Kerr's bench. As a result, Team USA went from 14-19 down when KD entered the game to 35-25 up in the second quarter.
Durant finished the first half perfect from the field. He went 8-8 and finished with 21 points at the break. With LeBron James also having a strong first half—he went to the break with 12 points on 5-5 shooting—the Americans took a 58-49 lead and then pulled away for good in the third quarter by outscoring Serbia 26-16.
KD only scored two points in the second half and missed a shot, which ended his perfect night. However, his ridiculous scoring display in the first two quarters sent a message to the rest of the competition.
Many criticized the Americans for not dominating their exhibition games. But many also forget that Durant didn't play in any of those. With KD back and Kerr giving his team the freedom on offense, the Americans might be unbeatable.
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