Kevin Durant scored 25 points as the USA’s NBA stars routed China 119-62 on Saturday to launch their bid for a third consecutive Olympic basketball gold.
The former Oklahoma City forward, who joins Golden State next season, added a game-high six assists for the Americans, who set an all-time USA record of 33 free throws made.
Australia opened the Olympic competition earlier in the day with an 87-66 win over France, while Serbia topped Venezuela in the other Group A match.
The USA missed their first five shots but soon displayed the unrivalled depth and long-range shooting that makes them prohibitive favourites to secure a 15th overall men’s title.
The Americans thoroughly dominated despite signs that the recently assembled unit is yet to completely gel.
“It still can be better and that’s what makes us scary,” said New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, who is seeking a record third men’s hoops gold.
“We wanted to send a message to the rest of the world that we mean business.”
Led by 25 points from former NBA lottery pick Yi Jianlian, China put up a spirited effort, showing it could cause trouble for other teams.
