Team USA beat Serbia live basketball updates (2024)

Team USA have beaten Serbia in their opening match of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Kevin Durant had a game-high 23 points including 21 in the first half and LeBron James added 21 as the U.S. made the perfect start to their campaign to win a fifth-straight men’s basketball Olympic gold medal.

You can also follow The Athletic’s Olympics coverage here (click 'follow' in the top right hand corner). And for today’s news from around Paris, click here.

Standings

1. United States: 1-0 record, 2 points, +26 points difference
2. South Sudan: 1-0 record, 2 points, +11 points difference
3. Puerto Rico: 0-1 record, 1 point, -11 points difference
4. Serbia: 0-1 record, 1 point, -26 points difference

Remaining games

Wednesday:

• Puerto Rico vs Serbia at 5:15pm Paris time, 11:15am ET
• United States vs South Sudan at 9pm Paris time, 3pm ET

Saturday:

• Puerto Rico vs United States at 5:15pm Paris time, 11:15am ET
• Serbia vs South Sudan at 9pm Paris time, 3pm ET

United States 110-84 Serbia

• Field goals: 43/69 - 31/74
• Field goal percentage: 62% - 42%
• Three pointers: 18/32 - 9/37
• Three point percentage: 56% - 24%
• Free throws: 6/10 - 13/17
• Rebounds: 41 - 32
• Assists: 24 - 18
• Steals: 9 - 12
• Blocks: 4 - 0
• Turnovers: 17 - 13
• Bench points: 47 - 23

I’ve long thought that Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony have the deepest and most meaningful USA Basketball resumes of all time. No, neither played on the Dream Team, which will always be the greatest U.S. basketball team of all time, and don’t bother trying to convince me otherwise. But they have both played for USAB for a long time, longer than anyone from that celebrated group. And they’ve both been outstanding for most of their stints. You can clap back that ’Melo was on that star-crossed 2004 Olympic team that lost to Argentina in the semifinals, and wound up winning the bronze medal. True. But then he helped lead Team USA to three straight golds in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

As the 2024 Summer Games kick off for the U.S. men’s team, though, Durant’s at the top of the heap.

KD hadn’t played a second in the warmups for this year’s Olympics, and he comes out of the wings to drop 23 in the opening-round game against Serbia. It only adds to his list of great moments for USAB over the last 14 years of World Cups and/or Olympics. I still believe his play in the 2010 World Cup in Istanbul, at 21 years old, when he averaged 22.8 per game for the U.S. team – including 28 in the gold medal-winning game over the host nation, Turkey, and was named tournament MVP – was the best individual performance in a world championship in U.S. history. But today’s effort, at age 35, is pretty damn special, too. He’s going for his fourth gold medal. He’s never said no when his country called. And he’s always played great.

United States

• Kevin Durant: 23 points on 8-for-9 shooting including 5-for-5 from three
• LeBron James: 21 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds

Serbia

• Nikola Jokić: 20 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds, but shot 1-for-6 from three

Curry drains a three in the closing seconds to put an exclamation point on the U.S.'s win.

A fantastic start to the Americans' campaign to take gold in Paris, coasting to an easy win over the team ranked fourth in the world.

Just like that, Booker gets going with a couple of off-ball catch-and-shoot 3s.

That's the guy they need him to be in the medal rounds.

Q4 1:54 United States 101-79 Serbia

Booker has six points, two assists and a steal over the past several minutes. He must've heard John Hollinger's criticism of him...

Q4 3:43 United States 93-79 Serbia

Serbia are hitting shots down the stretch here. It's likely too late to put a U.S. win in doubt, but every point matters as points difference is the first tiebreaker in determining which teams advance to the knockout stages.

Q4 5:38 United States 89-73 Serbia

Durant sits again. His second half has consisted of hitting two free throws and missing his first field goal of the game.

After scoring 21 points in the first half, he's not going to catch Carmelo's single-game U.S. record of 37. Still, an incredible performance by him today.

Q4 7:09 United States 86-68 Serbia

Jokić hits a bucket to slightly cut into the U.S. lead. He's got 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting today but hasn't gotten much scoring help from his teammates.

You know how you know this game is over as we head into the fourth? In the span of 30 seconds, I just watched Kerr laugh it up with assistant coaches Ty Lue and Mark Few, Anthony Edwards do the James Harden stir-the-pot motion as he headed to the bench after his fancy bucket at the end of the third quarter, and then LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Haliburton all re-enacting Edwards' clever spin move on the baseline as if they were all in beginner ballet class.

So yes, in other words, the tension that was there for this entire game has dissipated just a bit.

The quarter finishes with Edwards putting his defender in a blender to score an easy bucket, prompting some dancing from Steph on the bench. The U.S lead is up to 19.

Adebayo got his first points of the game a minute ago, meaning all 10 U.S. players who have been on the floor have scored in this game.

Q3 3:43 United States 73-60 Serbia

Durant finally checks back in. He needs 16 points to tie the U.S. record for points in a single game at the Olympics.