LeBron James, proper, of the US, shoots as Nikola Jokic, of Serbia, defends in a males’s basketball recreation on the 2024 Summer time Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. |AP Photograph/Michael Conroy
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — LeBron James was feeling some nervousness, some butterflies, possibly even a little bit of angst as he listened to the nationwide anthem play earlier than his first Olympic recreation in 12 years.
All of it went away rapidly.
James and Kevin Durant — the 2 most-experienced Olympians on this American group — opened the Paris Video games and a U.S. bid for a fifth consecutive gold medal with a near-perfect present. Durant made his first eight pictures and scored 23 factors, James added 21 factors, 9 assists and 7 rebounds and the U.S. rolled to a 110-84 win over Serbia within the Olympic opener for each groups on Sunday.
“That’s the most effective recreation we’ve performed up to now,” James stated after the Individuals improved to 6-0 this summer season, 1-0 within the match that issues.
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James and Durant have been a mixed 18 for 22 from the sphere — 8 of 9 for Durant, 9 of 13 for James — because the U.S. had no bother with the reigning World Cup silver medalists from final summer season within the Philippines. Jrue Vacation scored 15, Devin Booker had 12 and Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry every added 11 for the U.S.
“No matter it takes,” James stated. “It’s going to be anyone completely different each day. And we now have that sort of firepower.”
The U.S. improved to 144-6 general in Olympic play, 56-0 when scoring greater than 100 factors. The Individuals received with out Jayson Tatum of the NBA champion Boston Celtics — somebody who simply agreed to the richest contract in NBA historical past — within the rotation, which even U.S. coach Steve Kerr thought was loopy when he determined to do it.
“I went with the combos that I felt like would make sense,” Kerr stated. “I talked to him and he’s extremely skilled. And that’s tonight. It doesn’t imply it’s going to remain that manner the remainder of the match. He’ll make his mark. Our guys know this: The important thing to this complete factor is to place all of the NBA stuff within the rear-view mirror and simply win six video games. Jayson’s the last word professional, a champion, he dealt with it effectively and he’ll be prepared for the subsequent one.”
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Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 20 factors for Serbia, whereas Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 14. Serbia acquired outscored 54-27 from the 3-point line — a giant legal responsibility for the Individuals within the warmup video games earlier than this match, however a power on Sunday — and let the U.S. shoot 62% whereas getting held to 42% from the ground.
With Jokic on the ground in his 31 minutes, the groups have been even. Within the 9 minutes when Jokic wasn’t on the ground, the U.S. outscored Serbia by 26 factors. The ultimate margin: 26 factors.
“They acquired the most effective participant on this planet,” Edwards stated.
Each groups return to motion on Wednesday, with the U.S. taking up upstart South Sudan — a rematch of a 101-100 escape win for the Individuals in an exhibition in London earlier this month — and Serbia assembly Puerto Rico in what may primarily be an elimination recreation for each groups.
It was Serbia 10, U.S. 2 early. It was U.S. 108, Serbia 74 the remainder of the way in which.
“We knew they have been going to return out and play onerous,” Booker stated. “They did the identical factor after we have been in Abu Dhabi. They’ve numerous gifted guys over there. We didn’t underestimate them.”
Earlier than the match began, Serbia coach Svetislav Pesic — who coached towards the 1992 Olympic “Dream Staff” from the U.S. — stated this model of the American squad was even higher than that first NBA-star-filled bunch that took the world by storm on the Barcelona Video games. And when informed of that remark a few weeks again, Kerr laughed it off.
“When Chuck Daly coached the Dream Staff, he by no means known as timeout,” Kerr stated.
It took all of two minutes, 41 seconds of those Olympics for Kerr to name one. Serbia jumped out to that eight-point lead, placing the Individuals into a fast gap. Kerr subbed Joel Embiid out for Anthony Davis after that first stoppage and issues modified in a rush; a three-point play by James halfway via the primary gave the U.S. its first lead and a lob from James to Edwards put the Individuals up 25-20 after one.
By then, the Durant present was underway.
He completed his 8-for-8 first-half displaying with a fadeaway, falling to the court docket, that beat the halftime buzzer for a 58-49 lead. And the lead steadily grew from there: Edwards shook freed from Serbia’s Nikola Jovic for a nifty baseline rating to make it 84-65 after three, a play so good that Curry was dancing in delight and mimicking utilizing a video-game controller on the sideline.
“Very, crucial to get off to an excellent begin on this match as a result of each recreation is so large,” Curry stated after his Olympic debut. “You solely have six of them if you wish to get to the gold and clearly, Serbia is a good group. They run an intricate offense and a really bodily protection. KD was unbelievable within the first half and gave us an enormous enhance, and our protection within the second half opened the sport up.”
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