The American All-Star team successfully completed its first group stage match against Serbia. After a difficult start, the Serbs were quickly put aside in the end. Final score: 84-110. Kevin Durant was the star of the USA team with 23 points.
Video – Watch Kevin Durant's great show against Serbia!
In the first match of the group, Serbia immediately presented a formidable opponent for the United States. At first, the Dream Team was not fully awake yet. A few minutes later they found themselves down 10-2.
But after a much-needed timeout, the American powerhouses were able to regain their momentum. The lopsided situation was corrected before the end of the first quarter. The score was 20-25.
Led by the amazing Kevin Durant – who started off the bench – and LeBron James, this lead deepened in the second half. At halftime the gap was 9 points. The Americans continued this momentum in the third and fourth quarters.
Kevin Durant was on a different level, especially in the first half. He scored 21 points at 100%. The 35-year-old Durant scored 23 points in less than 17 minutes. LeBron James had 21 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds in 27 minutes.
In the fourth quarter, the American bench was allowed to appear and they made the final score 84-110.
The United States' next match will be against South Sudan on Wednesday at 9 p.m.
Jokic is a big man for Serbia
As expected, Nikola Jokic was the big man for Serbia. His numbers were impressive again today. With him on the pitch, Serbia kept pace with the United States. But when Jokic took a break from the bench, the American star power outplayed Serbia.
