Team USA men's basketball opened its quest for a fifth consecutive gold medal on the right foot, beating Nikola Jokic and Serbia 110-84 on Sunday at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kevin Durant, who did not play in any of the Americans' exhibition games because of a calf injury, came off the bench and scored 21 points in a perfect first half, as he hit all eight of his shots, including five 3-pointers.
Durant finished with a team-high 23 points, and LeBron James added 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in his first Olympic action since 2016. James was also perfect from the floor in the first half (5 for 5), and he took over the game at moments in the third quarter. Durant (8 for 9) and James (9 for 13) combined to go 17 for 22 (77.2%) from the floor in the game.
Team USA led by nine points at halftime and maintained that lead throughout the second half. Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP, led Serbia with 20 points but the team went just 9 for 37 on 3-pointers.
Stephen Curry made his Olympic debut Sunday as he started along with James, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker and Jrue Holiday. The Warriors superstar hit a trio of 3-pointers and finished with 11 points.
Team USA has two more group-stage games (against South Sudan on Wednesday and Puerto Rico on Saturday) in France, but Serbia figured to be the toughest test the Americans will face until the knockout stage. With the return of Durant and the continued dominance of James, it was a test they passed. Here are the biggest takeaways from Team USA's monster win
The old guys still got it
If there was a concern for Team USA heading into the Olympics, it would have been age-related. The three biggest names on the team, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, are a combined 110 years old. Joel Embiid is 30, starting and dealt with injuries during the NBA playoffs. Jrue Holiday started the opener at 34 years old and is being relied upon as the best perimeter defender on the roster. No team has Team USA's talent, but you'd certainly rather have a core group with a bit less tread on the tires.
Well, at least that was the argument doubters made going into the tournament, because it was the old guys who led the way on Sunday. Kevin Durant made his first eight shots and scored 21 points. LeBron James came one assist and two rebounds shy of a 21-point triple-double. Holiday's defense was as relentless as ever. Curry made three triples. If age is going to be a problem in the tournament, it certainly didn't show on Sunday.
In the broader scheme of USA Basketball, age is still a problem. It isn't a great sign that Team USA still needs to rely on such old players because it raises questions about the future. But for the 2024 Olympics, specifically? Nope. These guys are still close to the peak of their powers. It might be scary to rely on James or Durant over an 82-game season and four rounds of playoffs at this stage of their career, but Team USA will not play more than six games in these Olympics. With both healthy and dominating, Team USA is still the heavy favorite in this field.
What happened to Jayson Tatum?
Someone had to get bumped out of the rotation. Team USA wasn't going to use all 12 players. Tyrese Haliburton had been an obvious choice. His skill set, while valuable, was a tad redundant on this loaded roster. Derrick White had already taken some of his minutes late in the exhibition schedule thanks to his defense. But that still left 11 men for what would likely be a 10-man rotation. Surprisingly, it was Jayson Tatum that got left out.
At first, it was fair to wonder if there was a medical issue keeping him out. An illness had made its way through Team USA this week with both Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid missing practice team. Tatum had a wrap on his finger as well, suggesting a possible injury. But when Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe asked him if he was sick, Tatum said "No, I'm good." After the game, Steve Kerr said that Tatum will have opportunities down the line. "He'll make his mark," Kerr said.
Tatum being the odd man out was unexpected. He started games in the exhibition schedule. He's an NBA champion. But his absence made sense for the same reasons that Jaylen Brown's absence from the roster made sense. Scoring is not an especially necessary skill for Team USA, so it came down to defense. This is not a wing-heavy tournament, so playing an extra big like Bam Adebayo and an extra guard like White made more sense given the competition.
Perhaps the rotation shifts based on matchup need, but at least in this one, Tatum was deemed nonessential, and it's hard to imagine things getting easier for him moving forward. Durant came off of the bench in this game, but he was spectacular. He's going to need more minutes moving forward, not less. Who exactly is Tatum going to replace if he does play? Perhaps Adebayo against opponents with less size? Maybe Booker, whose skill set overlaps with Anthony Edwards'? Someone is going to be unhappy with their minutes here. It was Tatum on Sunday. Only time will tell if it's someone else down the line.
Serbia was closer than it looked
Serbia lost by 26 points... but Nikola Jokic did not. The three-time NBA MVP played 30 minutes and 45 seconds in this game. Serbia and Team USA played those minutes to a draw. In the nine minutes and 15 seconds Jokic rested, though, Serbia got blown out by 26 points. They had no way of generating good shots without him on the floor, a fate Nuggets fans know well given how frequently on/off splits like this occur in Denver.
Those Jokic splits weren't the only stark difference in this one. Team USA shot 18 of 32 on 3s. Serbia shot 9 of 37. Team USA is, of course, a better shooting team than Serbia, but that difference is still enormous.
All of this is to say, on balance, that Serbia wasn't nearly as bad as the score suggested. With its best player, Serbia played Team USA pretty closely, and with some better shooting luck, a lot can change. Imagine a game in the medal round in which Jokic plays 37 of the 40 minutes and Serbia makes a handful of extra open shots. Suddenly things can change pretty quickly. Team USA is still far and away the favorite, and this was an extremely impressive win. Just don't treat it as if it assures an easy path to gold. This is a very talented field, and Serbia is among its most dangerous teams.
