Last night, the group played their third exhibition game in order to prepare and it happened to be at Oracle Arena, Durant’s new home facility.
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DeMarcus Cousins led all scorer with 21 points on 87 percent shooting. During the team introductions, only two players got boos from the crowd: Durant and Golden State teammate Draymond Green.
The crowd went loco seven seconds after the tip in Tuesday night’s exhibition against China, Durant found a good spot and sank a three-pointer to open the scoring.Durant admitted however that the throw is orchestrated by teammate Kyrie Irving, as a way to properly make a statement at the Golden State home court. The Warriors were up 3-1 in the NBA Finals on Cleveland before Green was suspended for Game 5 due to exceeding the league’s flagrant fouls limit.
A dozen years after being one of the young guns for the US men’s basketball team, Carmelo Anthony is now one of its graybeards.
Durant said about his transition to the Warriors, “I’ll just stick with what I know and how I do things”. Others are anxious about the Zika virus or the stories of complete chaos which has surrounded the Rio games.
When a player as polarizing and talented as Kevin Durant decides to join the roster, there is without a doubt, some adjustments and sacrifices that will have to be made to the team around him. Each player is seen as a role player, no matter how big of a star they are, and that is what Durant will be once he begins playing with the Warriors. The United States dominated every facet of the game with their superior length and athleticism. Thompson drained 15 points, doing most of his damage from beyond the arc, and Green created opportunities for his team-mates while adding four points.
With Klay Thompson on his right and Kevin Durant to his left, Green introduced the newest Warrior to a almost packed house at Oracle Arena.
If you need a stream, watch it on USA Basketball’s or the NBA’sFacebook pages. He scored the first 10 points for the United States.
Yet again, the box score wasn’t so pretty for China. NBA draftee Zhou Qi scored a team high 13 points. There were rumblings that some players on the Thunder were upset about Durant talking to Green during the National Basketball Association playoffs, but Green insists the two didn’t have much contact throughout their teams’ Western Conference finals series.
Team USA plays its next scrimmage in Chicago on Friday.
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The two teams will meet in earnest on August 6 in Rio de Janeiro, in the Olympic opener for both. Kevin Durant you made the weakest that I have ever scene in my life.
