USA Basketball vs. China: Score, Highlights and Reaction from Tuesday's Showcase
After dominating China in a 49-point romp Sunday, Team USA did one better in disposing of the same adversary again Tuesday night at Oracle Arena in a 107-57 victory.
The home venue of the Golden State Warriors played host to the lopsided affair—and provided usual Warriors fans a glimpse at new free-agent acquisition Kevin Durant starting alongside teammates Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
Durant's decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder has dominated the NBA offseason headlines and was a topic of conversation at the Team USA camp before he opted to join Golden State. In the absence of a competitive contest in Tuesday's exhibition, the Durant discussion continued.
The Warriors' trio didn't disappoint, as Durant took no time at all to make a splash, courtesy of USA Basketball on Twitter:
CBSSports.com's Zach Harper had an appropriate reaction to the opening bucket:
That trey was a microcosm of the disparity between the U.S. and China in basketball at present. Durant netted the squad's first 10 points and finished with 13, providing the initial spark for the Americans.
The Dubs' official Twitter account was on point to praise its new superstar in his pseudo-home debut:
Chicago Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler had the best dunk of the night:
New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony also had a notable moment in the opening quarter after Durant's early explosion, showing off his unique skills in isolation:
Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal weighed in on Anthony's style of play and how it translates well to when he suits up in the Red, White and Blue:
The hosts led 31-15 through one quarter and extended the advantage to 52-24 by halftime.
The lead continued to swell in the third.
Anthony led the charge with 16 of his 20 total points in the quarter, while DeMarcus Cousins kept on dominating the paint as well. The Sacramento Kings center wound up posting a double-double with a team-high 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Ex-Warriors forward Harrison Barnes, who was essentially phased out from Oakland this summer with Durant's arrival and signed with the Dallas Mavericks, had a fine showing in his return to Oracle Arena.
Barnes netted seven points on 3-of-6 shooting, including the following dunk, via the NBA on Twitter:
The U.S. had such a prohibitive upper hand in athleticism, which revealed itself most in the quality of defense and the ability to crash the glass. China had only 21 rebounds to the Americans' 48, including 19 offensive boards.
Home fans were energized in the last 10-minute quarter by Thompson's four three-pointers to push his points total to 15 and a near-360-degree dunk by DeMar DeRozan, who was fouled on the play:
Durant even got a technical for celebrating DeRozan's effort.
LeBron James was tuned in to react to what would've been one of the best throwdowns he'd ever seen:
Center Zhou Qi (13), forward Zhou Peng (11) and guard Guo Ailun (11) led China as double-figure scorers.
Tuesday marked the third exhibition matchup for Team USA before its trip to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Coach Mike Krzyzewski's bunch will be pursuing a third consecutive gold medal.
"We had a little bit too much fun out there tonight. We have to tone that down a little bit," Krzyzewski said after Tuesday's game, per The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears.
That type of focus is what has made Krzyzewski such a success at Duke and bodes well for the Olympic team's outlook.
Even without big names like back-to-back league MVP Stephen Curry, also from the Warriors, and James—among others—the U.S. has plenty of firepower on the roster to reach the top of the podium in Rio.
Argentina was the last team other than the Americans to win gold on the hardwood. That was back in 2004, and the USA's run of golds stretched back to 1992's "Dream Team" before then.
It appears the dominance of Team USA will remain intact, if two routs of China and a 111-74 exhibition win over Argentina serve as any indication. In their next exhibition showcase, the Americans take on Venezuela on Friday at the United Center in Chicago.
