USA Basketball opened the Paris Olympics with a decisive win over Serbia on Sunday, thanks to Kevin Durant’s return from injury.
Durant, who had missed the Showcase Games, played a key role in Team USA’s victory over Serbia and their three-time MVP, Nikola Jokic.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers delivered an all-around performance, contributing 21 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.
However, it was Durant who stole the show with his dominant return.
The Phoenix Suns star scored 23 points, shooting 8/9 from the field and a perfect 5/5 from three-point range. By halftime, Durant had already accumulated 21 points on a perfect 8/8 shooting, generating buzz in the basketball world.
Durant’s first-half performance led to speculation about whether he might challenge Carmelo Anthony’s USA Basketball record of 37 points set in 2012. Ultimately, Team USA did not need such a high-scoring effort from Durant to secure the win.
Highlights of Anthony’s record-setting game against Nigeria were shared on social media platform X, along with a mention of WNBA legend Lisa Leslie’s 35-point game against Japan in 1996.
However, the post did not include any highlights from Leslie’s performance, prompting the WNBA legend to voice her concern on X.
While Leslie pointed out the omission, she took it in stride and laughed about it. Her exceptional performance should receive recognition when the USA women’s basketball team faces Japan in their Olympic opener on Monday.
With Durant back and performing at an elite level, Team USA is poised for a strong showing in Paris, aiming to add another gold medal to their illustrious Olympic history.
