Kevin Durant returned from injury to produce a shooting masterclass as the United States launched the defence of their Olympic basketball crown with a 110-84 win over Serbia yesterday.
Durant, who missed the entirety of the USA’s Olympic build-up with a calf injury, shot a near-perfect 8-of-9 from the field to finish with 23 points in a convincing win for the reigning champions, who are eyeing a fifth straight Olympic crown.
The 35-year-old Phoenix Suns ace, the all-time leader for the USA in points, points-per-game and field goals, entered the game in the first quarter with the star-studded American line-up trailing 19-14.
The 14-time NBA All-Star, a member of the USA’s gold medal-winning Olympic teams in 2012, 2016 and in Tokyo three years ago, then proceeded to take over, raining in a succession of buckets to get the Americans back on track.
LeBron James provided scoring support with 21 points, with Jrue Holiday adding 15 points and Devin Booker finishing on 12.
Denver star Nikola Jokic led the Serbia scoring with 20 points..
