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LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 24:  Kevin Durant #5 of the USA Basketball Men's National Team shoots a free throw against China on July 24, 2016 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 24: Kevin Durant #5 of the USA Basketball Men's National Team shoots a free throw against China on July 24, 2016 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)Juan Ocampo/Getty Images

USA Basketball vs. China: Score, Highlights and Reaction from 2016 Showcase

Timothy RappJul 24, 2016

The United States men's basketball team cruised in its exhibition against China on Sunday night, winning 106-57, as it continued its preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Kevin Durant led a balanced performance for Team USA with 19 points and five assists, while Klay Thompson (17 points), DeMar DeRozan (13 points, four rebounds), DeAndre Jordan (12 points, five rebounds, three blocks) and DeMarcus Cousins (12 points, seven rebounds) were all superb in limited playing time.

"We're making great progress," Jordan said after the game on the NBA TV broadcast.

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Yi Jianlian led the way for China with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Zhao Jiwei added 14 points and two assists.

The United States wasted little time in asserting its dominance, racing out to a 26-13 lead in the first quarter. Durant led the way with nine points in the quarter, including this pull-up three-pointer from well beyond the arc, via USA Basketball:

The new Golden State Warriors star's versatile game impressed ESPN's J.A. Adande: "Kevin Durant has three assists in his first four minutes of action. Looks like he's fitting into Golden State's offense before he even gets there."

Team USA continued to dominate in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 55-29 lead. Durant led all scorers with 14 points and four assists. Cousins added 12 points, Thompson notched nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, and Carmelo Anthony posted just two points but added six rebounds.

Kyrie Irving closed out the half in style, as USA Basketball showed:

And then there was Jordan, who impressed with this vicious dunk, via USA Basketball:

Cousins' strong first half was a reminder of what he could accomplish with a different NBA franchise, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com observed:

Meanwhile, Yi led China with 10 first-half points.

The United States continued to extend its lead in the third, holding China to nine points in the quarter to push the margin to 78-38. Thompson was excellent, scoring seven points in the period. 

And Jordan continued his dunking exhibition, via the NBA:

Little changed in the fourth quarter, as Durant and Co. continued to dominate. The Warriors star capped off an impressive performance with this transition finish, via the NBA:

Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report felt Durant was the team's catalyst throughout the contest:

Team USA's offensive outburst will attract the highlights and headlines, but basketball writer Dick Weiss was impressed with how the team fared on the other end of the court:

These teams will meet again Tuesday evening. The United States will be the prohibitive favorites to win the gold medal in Rio, and performances like Sunday night's blowout and Friday's 111-74 triumph over Argentina will do little to dispel that notion. 

Still, the competition will be stiffer in Rio, as Weiss noted:

But given Team USA's bounty of NBA superstars, anything less than a gold medal would be a significant surprise and disappointment. The United States has won the gold in five of the last six Olympics, failing to do so only at the 2004 Athens Games, where Team USA infamously fell short with a bronze medal.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

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