Rio de Janeiro: 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.
