The United States was as good as advertised as it opened up its run for a potential third-straight gold medal with a thrashing of China at the Olympics.
Team USA beat China 119-62 in its Group A opener, led by 25 points from Kevin Durant. Durant was certainly in a rhythm as the four-time NBA scoring champion hit 10 of 14 field-goal attempts.
"I just wanted to set the tone for my team-mates, being a leader on this team," Durant told NBC Sports. "We started off slow, but as the game went on we got stops, we made shots and we got in a rhythm."
DeMarcus Cousins was a force inside, scoring 17 points on six-for-eight shooting, while Paul George chipped in 15 points off the bench. Team USA had a dominant defensive effort, holding China to just 35.7 percent shooting and forcing 24 turnovers.
Former NBA player Yi Jianlian finished with a team-high 25 points for China.
"We know how hard it is to win," Durant said. "We appreciate the journey, the process."
Team USA will play Venezuela on Monday.
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