USA’s LeBron James dunks the ball within the males’s preliminary spherical group C basketball match between Serbia and USA throughout the Paris Olympics 2024 on the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, northern France, on July 28, 2024. (Picture by Denis CHARLET / AFP)
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — LeBron James made his Olympic return after a 12-year absence. Kevin Durant performed for the primary time this summer time.
And the 2 most skilled Olympians on this U.S. group opened the Paris Video games — to not point out a bid for a fifth consecutive gold medal for the Individuals — with a near-perfect present.
Durant made his first eight photographs on the best way to 23 factors in lower than 17 minutes, James added 21 factors, 9 rebounds and 7 assists and the U.S. rolled to a 110-84 win over Serbia within the Olympic opener for each groups on Saturday.
SCHEDULE: Group USA basketball at Paris Olympics 2024
They have been a mixed 18 for 22 from the sector — 8 of 9 for Durant, 9 of 13 for James — because the U.S. had no bother with the reigning World Cup silver medalists from final summer time within the Philippines. Jrue Vacation scored 15, Devin Booker had 12 and Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry every added 11 for the U.S.
Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 20 factors for Serbia, whereas Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 14.
Each groups return to motion on Tuesday, with the U.S. taking up upstart South Sudan — a rematch of a 101-100 escape win for the Individuals in an exhibition in London earlier this month — and Serbia assembly Puerto Rico in what may basically be an elimination sport for each groups.
Kevin Durant, proper, of america, passes the ball as he heads out of bounds whereas beneath stress from Marko Guduric, of Serbia, in a males’s basketball sport on the Paris Olympics 2024, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Picture/Michael Conroy)
Earlier than the match began, Serbia coach Svetislav Pesic — who coached in opposition to the 1992 Olympic “Dream Group” from the U.S. — stated this model of the American squad was even higher than that first NBA-star-filled bunch that took the world by storm on the Barcelona Video games. And when advised of that remark a few weeks again, U.S. coach Steve Kerr laughed it off.
“When Chuck Daly coached the Dream Group, he by no means referred to as timeout,” Kerr stated.
READ: Paris Olympics: Group USA’s Kevin Durant ‘hopefully’ will play vs Serbia
It took all of two minutes, 41 seconds of those Olympics for Kerr to name one. Serbia jumped out to a 10-2 lead, placing the Individuals into a fast gap. Kerr subbed Joel Embiid out for Anthony Davis after that first stoppage and issues modified in a rush; a three-point play by James halfway by way of the primary gave the U.S. its first lead and a lob from James to Edwards put the Individuals up 25-20 after one.
By then, the Durant present was underway.
He completed his 8-for-8 first-half displaying with a fadeaway, falling to the courtroom, that beat the halftime buzzer for a 58-49 lead. And the lead steadily grew from there: Edwards shook freed from Serbia’s Nikola Jovic for a nifty baseline rating to make it 84-65 after three, a play so good that Curry was dancing in delight and mimicking utilizing a video-game controller on the sideline.
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