Team USA’s Kevin Durant looks to pass with Serbia’s Vasilje Misic (left) during the second half of their Olympic group match at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, France on Sunday.
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PARIS – The U.S. men’s national basketball team defeated Serbia 110-84 on Sunday to begin its quest for what its players hope will be a fifth consecutive Olympic title.
Three-time gold medalist Kevin Durant returned to the court and scored 23 points (21 in the first half) and made his first eight shots of the game. James had 21 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds.
“Everyone played their role well,” Durant said. “My role is to provide space and shots for the team, and I’m glad I was able to knock them down.”
Durant missed all five of Team USA’s exhibition games against Paris due to a calf strain. He’s hoping to make his own history in Paris – aiming for a record fourth Olympic men’s basketball gold medal.
Team USA head coach Steve Kerr, who spent three seasons with Durant with the Golden State Warriors, benched Durant instead of inserting him into the starting lineup.
“Compared to any player I’ve ever seen, when he comes back from a long absence, you don’t notice,” Kerr said. “He’s very skilled and looks like he’s in mid-season form after not playing real basketball for a few months.”
The game against Nikola Jokic and Serbia is expected to be the men’s team’s most important test of the first round. Three-time NBA MVP Jokic finished with 20 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 14 points.
“The whole approach is the strength of our team is depth,” Kerr said of Jokic. “We have three guys who can guard him. That’s the way to do it, rotate guys onto him and pray because he’s a great player.
Stephen Curry reacts at the end of Team USA’s game against Serbia. This is his first Olympics and he said he is trying to enjoy every minute of it.
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This game also marked LeBron James’ return to the Olympics after 12 years.
“It’s awesome,” James said. “Listening to our national anthem and the cheers of the fans, I must be a little nervous. I have butterflies in my stomach.”
James said that this game was the best game the team has played so far.
“I thought they tested us early. The second group came in and gave us a big boost,” he said.
To achieve their fifth straight title, the men’s team must advance from a four-team group in the first round and then win three straight games in the knockout rounds.
“It’s very, very important to get off to a good start in this tournament because every game is important,” said Stephen Curry, who scored 11 points in his first game as an Olympian. “You want to win the gold medal. Serbia is a great team, they have a very complex offense and a very strong defense. KD was unbelievable in the first half and gave us a huge push, and our defense in the second half Opened up the game.
The men’s national team next faces first-time Olympians South Sudan on Wednesday. In an exhibition match this summer, the U.S. team narrowly defeated South Sudan 101-100 and remained undefeated.
