VILLENEUVE-d’ASCQ, France — Kevin Durant put on a show above even his lofty Olympic standards and lifted Team USA to victory over Serbia in the first match of the Paris Games for both teams.
Durant scored 21 points, all in the first half, and made his first eight shots in the Americans’ 110-84 win Sunday in front of a sold-out crowd at Stade Pierre Mauroy, a soccer stadium just outside of Lille, France.
What Durant pulled off against Serbia was stunning, given that he hadn’t played at all for the Americans this summer due to a strained left calf. He is already Team USA’s all-time leading scorer and is trying to become the first men’s player to ever win four Olympic golds.
The last time Durant, 35, played for Team USA, he scored 29 in the gold-medal game against France three years ago in Tokyo. On Sunday came off coach Steve Kerr’s bench with 2:23 left in the first quarter and started firing. He was 8-for-8 with five 3s in the first half, when the game was tense and the Serbians even led. He logged 17 minutes and exited to a standing ovation.
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Kevin Durant shines in return as Team USA crushes Serbia in Olympics opener
