Durant inspires USA in rout of Serbia to launch Olympic defense
VILLENUEVE-D’ASCQ, France — Kevin Durant returned from injury to produce a shooting masterclass as the United States launched the defense of their Olympic basketball crown with a 110-84 win over Serbia on Sunday morning (Manila time.)
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.
"It feels good to make some shots," Durant told reporters after the win. "Everybody played their role pretty well tonight and my role was to come in and make some space for the team -- glad I was able to knock some down.
"It's just basketball at the end of the day. I just tried to follow the gameplan, be there for my team-mates on the defensive end, and when the ball touched my hands be aggressive."
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.
The USA are the overwhelming favourites for the Olympic crown and have arrived in France with a squad featuring a galaxy of NBA stars led by the likes of James, Durant and Stephen Curry.
James and Curry lavished praise on Durant after Sunday's win.
- 'KD was phenomenal' -
"KD was phenomenal," James said. "It's almost like he never missed anything. If you watch him at practice, everything he does is at game speed. So there's no surprise he comes out and gets right into it –- it's good to have him on our side."
Durant's former Golden State team-mate Curry was similarly effusive.
"KD was unbelievable in the first half and gave us a huge boost," Curry said. "Nothing he does surprises me. To
