Team USA did not come to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 to win. They came to dominate.
That was exactly what the American quintet did when they made powerhouse Serbia look like boys in their one-sided 110-84 win in men’s basketball at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium on Monday, July 29 (Philippine time).
After sitting out the friendlies in the lead-up to the Games, Kevin Durant did not skip a beat and set the tone for the team that is looking to rebound from a fourth-place finish in the FIBA World Cup in Manila last year.
Durant made all but one from the field on his way to 23 points, with all but two he uncorked in the first half where he was a perfect 5-for-5 from deep.
The Slim Reaper’s lone miss came in the 8:00 mark of the fourth period when his baseline jumper rimmed off.
LeBron James did LeBron James things, finishing with 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, while Jrue Holiday scored 15 on top of four boards, three dimes and two steals.
Devin Booker had 12 points, and the backcourt duo of Steph Curry and Anthony Edwards added 11 apiece for Team USA, which shifted into higher gear come the second half.
Seeking a fifth straight gold medal, the Americans hit the Nikola Jokic-led Serbia with a 26-16 third quarter haymaker from which the latter could not recover.
Team USA refused to give the Serbs any ounce of confidence heading into the homestretch and continued pounding on what then looked like a helpless Serbia.
With still 8:53 remaining in the game, Anthony Davis found a wide-open Bam Adebayo ready to take off for a breezy flush that gave the Americans a commanding 86-65 lead.
Behind three-time NBA MVP Jokic, Serbia managed to trim the gap to 13, 86-73, with still six minutes and 25 seconds remaining.
That hardly made a dent against a bulwark that was Team USA.
Before Serbia knew it, the Americans brought the lead back to 22 points after Booker swished a trey entering the final two minutes, 101-79.
There is just no coming back from that deep a hole for the Serbs.
Jokic paced Serbia with 20 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals.
Bogdan Bogdanovic struggled to find his touch and went 6-for-14 from the field for 14 points. Ognjen Dobric made 13.
