Durant cemented his debut on the Warriors’ home floor by hitting a quick 3-pointer on the game’s opening possession, followed soon after by an uncontested dunk. “Just for him to come here, play his first game as a member of this team in a U.S. jersey”. DeMarcus Cousins led the scoring with 21 points, Carmelo Anthony added 20 off the bench, and Thompson finished with 15.
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Because of the savvy work by the Warriors, they were able to have enough money to land Durant to go with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. As soon as Kyle Lowry’s 3-point attempt left his hands, Durant threw up his arms in celebration and looked to the crowd without even noticing Lowry’s shot bounce off the rim and into an opponent’s hands.
The team will continue its U.S. showcase tour before heading to Rio next week, playing Venezuela in Chicago before facing Nigeria in Houston. “Every time I get the chance to step on the court with these players I get better, so I’m looking forward to it”.
The two teams will meet in earnest on August 6 in Rio de Janeiro, in the Olympic opener for both. The Clippers fans in the crowd supported the red, white and blue but those colors represent something else to them for most of the year, and they let their new nemesis know it. “I’m just going to go out there and be my normal self and do my normal routine and we’ll see what happens”. The American team is absolutely stacked and exciting, but it’s Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors who will own the headlines from now through the end of the Summer Olympics. United States Kyrie Irving, right, shoots over China’s Zhao Jiwei during the first half of an exhibition basketball game, Tuesday, July 26, 2016, in Oakland, Calif.
Speaking about the events that transpired and led to Durant choosing the Warriors in free agency, Green laid out his logic on the matter.
“(Kleiman said) ‘You’re a potential top 10 player, ‘ and just (asked) how the chemistry would be with Kevin”, Thompson recalled. The first time America’s professional athletes played in the games. I heard something come out where they said Kevin Durant and Draymond were talking during the playoffs.
There isn’t a pass-first point guard on Team USA like we’ve seen in previous years (Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, etc), but Durant’s passes will keep Oracle mesmerized.
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“He was himself in the locker room (before the game)”, Green said of Durant.
