Kevin Durant dominates first half with 21 points to give LeBron James and Team USA huge reinforcement vs Nikola Jokic and Serbia
It is gold medal or failure for Team USA.
For LeBron James and a roster that has already been compared to a legendary Dream Team from 1992, one final name has been added at the perfect time.
2
Kevin Durant was available and ready to play on Sunday vs three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Serbia in Lille, France.
Durant's availability was confirmed by Team USA barely an hour before the squad's tipoff in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Sunday's contest marks the first time that Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis and James will be officially tested.
They survived two tense exhibition games in London, nearly losing to South Sudan and Germany.
READ MORE ON OLYMPICS
Durant's availability was a lingering question mark entering Paris.
He returned to practice last Friday in London but was held out of both exhibition games.
Durant is the all-time leading scorer in Team USA men's basketball history and already has three gold medals.
He provides perimeter shooting and Olympic experience that could be pivotal as The King goes for his third gold in France.
Most read in Olympics
Kerr experimented with closing rotations during the lead-up to the Olympics.
Against South Sudan, he kept his starters on the bench at the beginning of the third quarter in an effort to avoid international embarrassment.
2
The 35-year-old Durant is still one of the best scorers in the NBA.
He trails only James among all active scorers and is a two-time Finals champion.
Active with Team USA, Durant could again share the hardwood with Curry, his former Golden State Warriors teammate.
NBA legend LeBron James sends son Bronny message of advice from Team USA London practice
"It's great," Durant said last week to reporters, including talkSPORT. "It's exciting times. He's at the point in his career where this is probably the last thing he wants to check off on a résumé.
"His energy is very, very high. To be around that is pretty cool."
Durant answered his availability on Sunday with a classic Olympic performance.
He drilled 3-pointer after 3, scoring 11 quick points as Team USA opened up a 35-27 lead in the second quarter.
By the end of the first half, the Slim Reaper led all scorers with 21 points and hadn't missed a shot.
Durant was 8-of-8 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 on 3s.
He was so smooth that Joel Embiid and Curry began laughing after Durant sank another 3.
Read More on talkSPORT
Then Durant ended the first half with a circus shot that beat the buzer, giving the USA a strong 58-49 advantage.
talkSPORT brings you live coverage of the Paris Olympics this summer, with Sir Steve Redgrave and Dame Kelly Holmes among our legendary line-up of pundits. Listen to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, via the app, or through your smart speaker. And follow our live blog for all the latest news.
Topics