LeBron James made a triumphant return to Olympic basketball after a 12-year absence, and Kevin Durant took the court for the first time this summer, leading Team USA to a dominant 110-84 victory over Serbia in their opening game of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Kevin Durant, who had missed the pre-Olympic games due to a calf injury, was unstoppable off the bench. He hit his first eight shots, scoring 23 points in less than 17 minutes. James also shined, contributing 21 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. The duo combined for an impressive 18 of 22 from the field, with Durant going 8 of 9 and James 9 of 13. Jrue Holiday added 15 points, Devin Booker scored 12, and both Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry chipped in 11 points each.
“This is the best game we’ve played so far,” said James, reflecting on Team USA’s 6-0 record this summer and their strong start to the tournament.
Durant’s performance was a highlight, especially considering it was only the fourth time in his last 1,320 games that he did not start. Coming off the bench as the fifth sub, Durant quickly made his presence felt with his signature shooting prowess.
However, not all the attention was positive. Joel Embiid faced boos from the French crowd throughout the game. The Sixers’ center, who chose to play for Team USA over France, was met with jeers during pregame introductions, every time he came off the bench, and whenever he touched the ball. French fans had hoped Embiid would join NBA stars Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert to play for the host country, given his naturalized French citizenship. Embiid, who also holds a US passport, had previously turned down the option to play for Cameroon, citing his desire to play for Team USA because his son was born in the US.
Despite the crowd’s reaction, Embiid remained focused on the game. Serbia’s Nikola Jokić led his team with 20 points, while Bogdan Bogdanović added 14 points.
Serbia’s coach, Svetislav Pešić, had high praise for Team USA, suggesting this version might be even better than the original 1992 Dream Team.
“Very, very important to get off to a good start in this tournament because every game is so big,” Curry said after his Olympic debut. “You only have six of them if you want to get to the gold, and obviously, Serbia is a great team. They run an intricate offense and a very physical defense. KD was unbelievable in the first half and gave us a huge boost, and our defense in the second half opened the game up.”
Team USA’s next game is against South Sudan on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET, and fans will be eagerly anticipating another strong performance from Durant and his teammates.
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