USA Men’s Basketball Pulls Away From Serbia During Second Half For First Olympic Victory In Paris

After a shaky opening quarter, the USA men’s basketball team outclassed Serbia and cruised to a 110-84 victory, giving them their first win in Group C.

Kevin Durant played one of the best games of his career, shooting 8-9 from the field and 5-5 from three. He led the U.S. in scoring with 23 points in 17 minutes off the bench. The four-time NBA scoring title holder did not play in the pre-season matches for the Americans, dealing with a calf injury, making his shooting barrage even more impressive. LeBron James put forth the most complete game for any player wearing red, white and blue, finishing with 21 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds while leading his team in minutes with 27. Steve Kerr’s team easily covered the -12.5 line set by Hard Rock Bet, even though his group struggled early.

Serbia raced out to an early 10-2 advantage as the United States committed three turnovers in three minutes, continuing their lazy style of basketball. However, the second unit, headlined by Anthony Davis and Durant, turned the game back in the Americans’ favor. The former slowed down former MVP Nikola Jokic, the latter shot the lights out and the U.S. ended the first on a 9-0 run to lead 25-20 at the end of one.

Serbia cut the deficit to two with two minutes remaining in the second, but Kerr’s club closed the quarter strong again and went into the break up 58-49.

The third quarter put the game out of reach, as the Serbs could no longer match their opponents’ pace, athleticism, and shooting. 20 of the 26 points the United States scored in the frame came from inside the paint as they tightened the screws. In the fourth, the Americans knocked down four of their 18 triples on the day, putting the game out of reach and embarrassing a medal favorite.

Serbia looked the part early on, but they could not handle the U.S. shooting. The red, white, and blue shot 62% from the floor and 56% from three, compared to only nine three-pointers made by the Serbs, half of their opponents.

While Sunday was a successful day on the court for the U.S., Kerr needed to answer questions off of it. 2024 NBA champion and first-team All-NBA SF Jayson Tatum did not receive a minute of playing time. Tatum became an integral piece for the United States off the bench during their exhibition matchups, but Durant’s return made his skills obsolete, according to the head coach. Kerr stated that he “feels like an idiot” for not playing Tatum and will get minutes throughout the tournament.

The Americans continue their gold medal defense Wednesday against South Sudan, whom they beat 101-100 during a friendly match.