Team USA benefited from Kevin Durant's monster performance.
It was unknown if Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant would even play in the Olympics after a calf strain kept him out of all five of Team USA's exhibition games.
Not only did Durant feature for the Americans in their opening win over Serbia in Paris, he was one of a few key reasons why Team USA started their campaign with a win. Coming off the bench, Durant dropped 23 points on eight-of-nine shooting from the field, which included going 5-5 on three-point attempts to defeat Serbia., Durant previously never scored 20 pts on 100% from the field in any half of his NBA career, including the postseason. Durant finished with 21 points on 8-8 shooting in the first half.
"The energy in here was incredible and there's so many people in here supporting the game of basketball - it's just lovely to see," Durant said in a post-game interview with NBC. "Leg felt great. I've been building with these guys for the last couple of weeks and I've been itching to get out on the floor. Training staff has been doing a great job with me so I'm happy that I'm out there with the guys now being a part of the team and it's a great first start for us."Donnie Druin is the Publisher for All Cardinals and Inside The Suns. Donnie moved to Arizona in 2012 and has been with Fan Nation since 2018.
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