One down, five to go.
The Slim Reaper is back in business. Kevin Durant, already at the top of the charts as the United States’ career Olympic scoring leader, added to his international legacy on Sunday. Durant did not miss a beat after sitting out all five of the exhibition games with a strained calf, pouring in 21 first-half points to help the United States shut down an explosive Serbian offense and claim a 110-84 victory in their opening game of the 2024 Olympics.
“That was the best game we’ve played so far,” James said.
Durant was on ice for Team USA’s entire Olympic exhibition run, and now it is crystal clear and does not look so much like happenstance that they struggle to put teams away over those five games. His appearance with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter was a sight for sore eyes and allowed a U.S. team that struggled coming out of the gate, to contain the whirling Serbian attack led by three-time and defending NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
For a roster overflowing with its own crop of MVP Award winners and NBA champions, the United States appeared to be rattled early in the first quarter of its first Olympic game. Head coach Steve Kerr ran out a starting lineup of experienced veterans, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Devin Booker, Joel Embiid and Jrue Holiday, and that elite crew almost immediately got themselves behind the eight ball.
Curry, debuting on the Olympic stage, received the prestigious honor of leading the Americans onto the court for warmups. But his first pass as an Olympian was off the mark and ended up in the hands of Serbia’s Aleksa Abramovic, who took it the other way for the first points of the game.
“Very, very important to get off to a good start in this tournament because every game is so big,” said Curry, who scored 11 points in his Olympic debut. “… KD was unbelievable in the first half and gave us a huge boost, and our defense in the second half opened the game up.”
Embiid was out of sync for the majority of the contest, missing free throws, which is highly unusual, committing unnecessary fouls and getting taken to school on the block. Maybe it was jitters, or perhaps it was the unrelenting cascade of boos and whistles that accompanied his every shot, touch or appearance on overhead screens. French basketball fans, it seems, are not yet ready to open their hearts and forgive Embiid for the crime of choosing to play for America rather than France.
Kerr said prior to the game that he wants the United States to play a more fast-paced offense, to guard against international teams camping out in the paint. It was a good idea, except that Serbia decided to play at an even faster tempo, one that confused the U.S. into bad passes and cheap turnovers throughout the first half.
39-year-old LeBron James, fresh off his honor of leading the United States up the Seine during Friday’s Opening Ceremony, scored America’s first points on one of his patented breakaway dunks. But the real hero of the first half was Durant, who checked in with 2:33 remaining and proceeded to knock down his first three-point shot just a mere 14 seconds later.
Embed from Getty ImagesDurant’s first run lasted just over six minutes total over the first and second quarters, but made an incredible impact, throwing down 14 necessary, game-changing points, twice as many as any other player on either team when he left the court. He concluded the first half with his best Reggie Miller interpretation, with five points in the final 36 seconds, including a fadeaway as time expired that left him flat on his back, and the United States up by nine, 58-49.
The second half was sloppy. The trio of Embiid, James and Booker all put Serbian defenders on their backs at one point or another, but also inevitably, as the United States continued to extend their lead and contain the frantic Serbian squad.
The game’s decisive moment came when James muscled in a layup to give the U.S. a 14-point advantage, and ended up tumbling to the ground with Serbia’s Nicola Jovic on top of him. James simply threw Jovic off, got to his feet, and flexed in front of Serbia’s bench, the NBA’s all-time career scoring leader and Team USA leader calling game.
Durant led all scorers with 23 points, and when he exited the game with 5:33 remaining, he received an ovation from the crowd. James filled up the stat sheet and finished with 21 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds in a dominant all-around showing. Jokic led Serbia with 20 points and 8 dimes.
Every player on the American team except for Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum got minutes and points. Anthony Edwards, in particular, brought fire. He spent the lion’s share of the game at war with a horn-blowing fan behind the United States’ bench, glaring up at the fan after he swished a three-pointer and, later, executed a sweat turnaround that left the Serbian defense speechless.
The United States now move on to play South Sudan on Wednesday, a team that gave the Americans all they could handle during the exhibition run. But this time around, Team U.S.A. is expected to have KD in the lineup, and that alone could make all the difference in the world.
