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Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior Writer
LILLE, France — Kevin Durant is happiest when he’s playing basketball. And when he’s playing basketball, Durant is happiest when he’s thriving for Team USA.
Already the most decorated and accomplished player in national team history, Durant added another volume to his tremendous Olympic record with a brilliant performance in Team USA’s 110-84 victory over Serbia in a pivotal pool play game Sunday.
Cleared to play less than an hour before the game after missing a month with a calf injury, Durant made an instant and dramatic impact as he nailed his first eight shots, five of them 3-pointers, in a 23-point masterpiece in just 17 dazzling minutes.
“I’ve been playing ball my whole life, so I simplified it,” said Durant, who played his first 5-on-5 since April. “And when the ball touched my hand, it was be aggressive.”
Team USA coach Steve Kerr was extremely cautious in bringing Durant back after a calf injury had been a precursor to his Achilles tear in 2019.
Durant was the fifth player Kerr brought off the bench in the first quarter, and it happened with Serbia playing well and ahead 19-14. It was just the fourth time in Durant’s pro career and first time in his Team USA career that he has come off the bench.
But then that trademark sweet jumper was again on display on an Olympic floor, time after time ripping through the net. Durant, who had been frustrated going through his slow recovery watching his star-studded teammates try to gain some chemistry, shed all his worries and couldn’t contain his smiles.
“When he comes back from a long absence, you don’t notice it,” Kerr said. “I mean, he is so skilled and he just looked like he was in midseason form after not playing in a real basketball game for a couple of months. Pretty incredible.”
Bang went 3-pointer after 3-pointer, with the well-drilled and usually tightly focused Serbia defense making the cardinal sin of losing Durant. After each splash, Durant’s teammates bounced on the bench as they knew how anxious he’d been to rejoin them.
At the buzzer of the first half, Durant made yet another jumper, this time falling on his back into the American bench, off a laser beam feed from LeBron James, kicking off a celebration that marked the highest moment of this group’s month together.
“We’d never even ran that play before,” James said, noting Kerr diagramed it moments before in a timeout. “I mean [Durant] is just an out of this world talent.”
With Durant on the floor, Team USA was a brilliant +17 in the first half and +20 for the game.
James was far more than just the supporting player on that play. He served as the counter to Durant’s offensive fastball throughout the game.
Acting as the primary offensive initiator, James was the quintessential leader that he’s fashioned himself to be for this roster. He did whatever the team needed whether it was set up teammates, seek opportunities in transition or look for his own shot.
“Whatever it takes,” James said. “It’s going to be somebody different every day. And we have that type of firepower.”
James and Durant combined to make their first 14 shots, seven of them from 3-point range for 35 points. James, who had 21 points, also finished with nine assists and six rebounds in a command performance that slowly broke Serbia, a team that has gold medal aspirations.
Durant and James were the first Team USA teammates to both score over 20 points in an Olympic opener.
“LeBron puts his imprint on the game in so many different ways,” Kerr said. “It’s not just his skill and his strength and his size, but it’s his emotion, his confidence. Just the way he infuses our team with energy and confidence at 39 is just amazing.”
Said Durant: “I’m so grateful to have him back. We missed him the last two Olympics. He puts fear in the other team. I think that goes a long way.”
The Americans, who shot just 35% on 3-pointers in their five warmup games, were red-hot from 3-point range, with Durant and James leading the way. They made 9 of their first 13 attempts and 17-of-30 for the game.
Jrue Holiday was also very effective for the U.S., playing strong perimeter defense and sneaking into gaps on offense, scoring 15 points. Devin Booker nailed four 3-pointers, scoring 12.
Nikola Jokic led Serbia with 20 points. The U.S. rotated defenders on him and, though he made 8-of-15 shots, he was not able to make an imprint on the game.
“He’s an impossible cover,” Kerr said. “We got three guys who can guard him, and that was the approach. Just rotate guys onto him and cross your fingers because he’s a brilliant player.”