The United States men’s basketball team’s gold medal charge tipped off with a comfortable 110-84 victory over Nikola Jokic’s Serbia at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium on Sunday.
Despite getting off to a rocky start, Team USA got the win in their opener thanks to gargantuan performances from Kevin Durant and NBA legend, LeBron James.
KD’s perfect 5 for 5 after coming on in the first quarter changed the momentum of the game, with the Slim Reaper scoring a total of 21 points in the first half and 23 for the game.
“Obviously, I coached Durant for three years and maybe more than any player I’ve ever been around, when he comes back from a long absence, you don’t notice it,” United States Basketball and Golden State Warriors coach, Steve Kerr said after the victory.
LeBron James chipped in with nine assists and eight rebounds, recording 21 points in total. Meanwhile, Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić’s 20 points tally wasn’t enough on the day.
USA will play South Sudan and Puerto Rico in the remaining Group C games.