Durant, James Lift USA Basketball Past Serbia In Olympic Opener
Jul 28, 2024, 11:13 AM | Updated: Jul 29, 2024, 11:08 am
PARIS, France – USA Basketball started their journey for a Gold Medal as they began group play with a 110-84 win over Serbia in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games.
Leading the way for USA Basketball was Kevin Durant and LeBron James, who combined for 44 points. Durant finished with 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor, and 5-for-5 from the three-point line. James nearly had a triple-double with 21 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists.
For Serbia, reigning NBA MVP and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic recorded 20 points, five rebounds, and eight assists.
Two 🐐s
🇺🇸 #USABMNT #Paris2024 #Basketball pic.twitter.com/2H6b8W9FLS
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 28, 2024
Kevin Durant Catches Fire In First Half For USA Basketball Against Serbia
After trailing by ten points in the first quarter, Team USA received a spark from Stephen Curry and Devin Booker, who combined for three triples to get within one point. James put the United States in front after getting to the rim like he normally does, like a freight train.
Getting the crowd going in Lille.
📺 NBC, Peacock#USABMNT #Paris2024 #Basketball
pic.twitter.com/Fa6NhC8R8P— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 28, 2024
After missing all five exhibition games due to injury, Kevin Durant made his 2024 USA Basketball debut. While on a minutes restriction, the Phoenix Suns star entered the contest and seconds later, drilled a three-pointer.
The United States had a 25-20 lead at the end of the first quarter after ending the opening frame on an 11-0 run. All 25 points were scored by six players on six three-pointers. Devin Booker and Kevin Durant each had six points, LeBron James and Anthony Edwards dropped five points apiece, while Stephen Curry added a triple.
For Serbia, Aleksa Avramovic led the way with six points. Nikola Jokic added three points, one rebound, two assists, and three turnovers.
Durant continued his hot start with eight points in the second quarter and was up to 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the field and 4-for-4 from downtown.
Team USA had a 10-point lead midway through the second quarter when Serbia went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to two points with under two minutes to go until halftime. Buckets by Durant and Jrue Holiday stretched the lead back to six points before Bogdan Bogdanovic drilled a three-pointer.
At the end of the first half, the United States had a 58-49 lead over Serbia. Durant led the way with 21 points, including 15 points in the second quarter, shooting 8-for-8 from the field and 5-for-5 from the three-point line. LeBron James added 12 points, three rebounds, and five assists, shooting 6-for-6 from the field.
As a team, the United States shot 22-of-33 from the field, including 10-for-15 from two, and 12-of-18 from downtown.
Serbia was led by Nikola Jokic with 12 points, four assists, and two rebounds. He dropped nine points in the second quarter.
He don’t miss
📺 @nbc @peacock #USABMNT #Paris2024 #Basketball
pic.twitter.com/W4HT8SX5De— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 28, 2024
USA Basketball Cruises In Second Half
Not much scoring took place early in the third quarter. Although, there was a lot of physical play, including an unsportsmanlike foul on Embiid. The United States went on a run with great plays being made by LeBron James. He wasn’t just scoring the ball but was playing great defense and dished out some great assists.
James went to the bench with 3:30 left in the third quarter and had 18 points, four rebounds, and eight assists, while shooting 8-of-9 from the floor. Team USA outscored Serbia 26-16 in the third quarter to take an 84-65 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The King goes coast-to-coast.
🇺🇸 #USABMNT #Paris2024 #Basketball
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 28, 2024
The United States had the game in hand in the fourth quarter. But head coach Steve Kerr kept his main players in the contest to continue to build chemistry for the next game and beyond.
USA Basketball started their Olympic journey with a win over Serbia. They will be in action on Wednesday, July 31 as they continue pool play against South Sudan. Tip-off is at 1:00 p.m. MT on USA Network. They will wrap up pool play against Puerto Rico on Saturday, August 3 at 9:15 a.m. MT on KSL TV.
