Durant, Anthony, Cousins, Kyrie Irving and Warriors guard Klay Thompson started the game for the Americans, and all 12 players scored.
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Pregame: The United States and China face off for the third time in the last few weeks, as the Chinese men were part of USA’s warm-up exhibition tour last month before kicking off play Saturday at the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro.
Coach Nick, who hosts the YouTube channel, BBALLBREAKDOWN, pinpoints 3 key reasons why Carmelo Anthony plays better in the Olympics than with the New York Knicks.
The US Team-led by Olympic veterans Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony-are the heavy favorites to win the gold medal once again.
However, there are five teams that might make the games interesting and competitive, who may not embarrass themselves against Team USA. The U.S. Team is set to play against Venezuela on August 8.
The Chinese men’s basketball team would rather take their Rio Olympic opener against Olympic and world champions United States of America as a learning experience than pressure. The leader of this team, Anthony, who is going for his third gold medal, is one of the all-time great Olympic players, and his command of global game was on display. First, the USA second unit of Kyle Lowry, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan and DeAndre Jordan turned up the defensive pressure in the first quarter, turning a close start into a 30-10 first-quarter lead.
Prior to the start of the Olympics, much had been made about the living accommodations the team would have in Rio.
Kevin Durant finished the game with 25 points for Team USA, and Yi Jianlian finished with 25 points for Team China. Though Jimmy isn’t starting for Team USA, he logged more minutes than Draymond Green, DeAndre Jordan, Kyle Lowry, or Harrison Barnes. “We’re going to do the best job with the guys here, and hopefully, get a gold”, Harrison Barnes said.
They went 5-0, averaged 102.8 points and overwhelmed their opponents by 43 per game.
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DeMarcus Cousins and Paul George were the other two Americans to score in double figures. But during the first and second quarters of the game, all the players were given the chance to play. This would be the fourth Olympics that Anthony is playing. “I mean, really good”, Krzyzewski said.
