U.S. beat China 119-62 in men’s basketball event

It was a warm-up game, to be sure, but the Team USA men’s basketball outfit certainly seemed on pace to defend its gold medal standing as it took down China 119-62 in the preliminary round of the Group A men’s tournament. The 57-point deficit registered as Team USA’s largest lead of the game.

The usual first-game jitters and lack of chemistry weren’t on display as much as they were in years past as the squad bullied its way toward a 30-10 first quarter advantage. Kevin Durant led the outfit with 25 on 10-14 shooting with six assists and two steals in, while DeMarcus Cousins added 17 points and five rebounds in limited minutes as the Mike Krzyzewski-coached group rolled.

Yi Jianlian led China with 25 points on 8-19 shooting, but no other player could manage double-figure points, as the team couldn’t get past its 15 first half turnovers (23 overall). Yi, the closest thing Team China has to an NBA talent (he was drafted sixth overall by the Bucks in 2007 and could be playing in the league right now had he continued to build on his raw talent) just could not consistently keep his teammates in it because of poor guard play and constant fouling.

Yi’s crew is to be credited for keeping things relatively tight in the first half, as after an initial second quarter burst from Team USA the Chinese outfit brought the score down to 42-22 – negating any second period advantage to that point by the defending world champions. The starting backcourt of Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving had a rough go of things in the first half, missing a combined seven of eight shots, while starting center Cousins was frustrated with two early fouls (five will foul you out in international play), but that did not get in the way of Team USA’s 59-30 lead at the half.

Kevin Durant paced the way for Team USA. (Getty Images)
Durant led his team at the break with 17 points, hitting three NBA-sized 3-pointers (the international line is nearly two feet shorter) in one second-quarter stretch to keep Team China at arm’s length. The newest Golden State Warrior started the game with Irving, Thompson, Cousins and New York’s Carmelo Anthony.