Durant led the USA squad with 19 points in 18 minutes, while Thompson scored 17 in 19 minutes.
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Team leader and veteran forward Carmelo Anthony did a little bit of everything, posting a well-rounded stat line with five points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
That animosity was on full display Sunday night when Durant and his Warriors teammate Draymond Green took the floor for Team USA in a friendly tune up before the Olympics against China.
“I don’t think there’s any coach that likes not to see the ball go in”, Krzyzewski said.
They’ll also meet August 6 in the opening game of Olympic competition in Brazil.
Team USA vs. Team China will be televised by NBA TV and will be available to watch online on the USA Basketball Facebook feed.
Klay Thompson opened up the second quarter knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers, leading to the creation of a new fun game: Who has more points: The Golden State Warriors or the team facing USA?
The two superstars led Team USA to a dominant victory in exhibition play.
China and the US prepared to face- off on the basketball court at Staples Center for an exhibition game on Sunday.
According to the Associated Press, Durant didn’t even notice the boos during introductions. “We’ve only been together for a week, but it seems like we’ve been teammates for years”.
China and US will meet for one more exhibition game in Oakland, California on Tuesday.
China is 14th in the rankings compiled by FIBA, basketball’s global governing body, 13 spots behind the U.S. All of its players play professionally in China. Finishing with 19 points, Durant wouldn’t have much sense to listen, as he poured in the team high.
There has never been an Olympic dynasty quite like the USA women’s basketball team, which seeks a sixth consecutive gold medal in Rio to complete two decades of global domination.
Overall, the team looks good from their performance, despite some of the earlier setbacks this year. “We should have won, but the way we won was excellent”. China did manage to get to the free throw line 21 times, so perhaps the defense can tighten up in how much they’re fouling the opponent.
The Americans will need more from those guys in bigger games against better teams, but in this exhibition in China, it was no problem.
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The Chinese team’s most recognisable player, Yi Jianlian – the No.6 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft who spent five seasons with four NBA teams – led his side with 18 points. Each of the major stars on this team is fully capable of breaking a guy’s ankles, letting him recover, then breaking their ankles again to test the limits of Brazilian podiatrists.
