The United States began its quest for a fifth straight Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball with a convincing 110-84 win over Serbia led by Nikola Jokic this Sunday in Lille, led by its old guard and the highly inspired Kevin Durant and the smooth leadership of LeBron James.
With three golds on his plate, Durant began the road to fourth place with a masterpiece: 21 points without errors with five three-pointers in the first half in 8 minutes and 39 seconds of play, with a stunning basket on the horn that he finished with. Soil.
His best ally was his “arch-nemesis” LeBron, who celebrated being the oldest player to play for Team USA – 39 years old – with a large portion of the points (21) and overall leadership of his forces.
Jokic, winner of three of the last four NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, struggled to get a pulse on the game, suffering three first-half losses.
But his team was able to provide the first push (10-2), which the American coach Steve Kerr knew how to stop during the timeout.
After receiving his first warning, his army of scorers warmed up his wrist, with three from Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards and Durant, outside the starting five and the key to correcting the game.
With the introduction of Durantola, the USA team achieved the first difference of ten points (35-25).
Embiid booed
In the middle of the second quarter, after coming off the bench, Jokic woke up with nine consecutive points that revived the competition again. He ended with 20.
He was defended by Joel Embiid, the Cameroonian midfielder who promised to play for France and eventually did so for the United States. The crowd affected him by booing him every time he touched the ball and the 2023 MVP couldn’t find his way on the pitch.
There was no need for the USA team, which extended its lead in the second half against the current world runner-up.
Kerr didn’t need the Pacers’ magician, Tyrese Haliburton, smiling on the bench, nor the Celtics’ champion captain, Jayson Tatum, so unhappy. They didn’t play.
James, Durant and Curry, who made their Olympic debut at age 36 with a pair of signature threes, continue to lead the NBA empire.
“I was a little nervous before the game, even the national anthem. The energy was amazing, playing in that jersey at that level, I’ve been waiting for it for a long time,” said Curry, the legend turned junior Olympian.
Puerto Rico falls to Sudan
In the other Group C match, South Sudan came back to defeat Puerto Rico 90-79, despite Jose Alvarado scoring 26 points.
The “Refugee Squad,” as the team calls itself, made up of players from the four corners of the world, made its Paris 2024 debut as a choral group, with five players with double-digit points: Carlik Jones (19), Noni Umut (12), Paul Coll (12), Marial Shayok (15), and Peter Zhuk (11).
The match began with the wrong anthem of the world’s newest country – founded in 2011 – becoming increasingly violent, sparking anger among its fans and moments of confusion.
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