Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant led Team USA with a +26 plus/minus in their 103-86 victory over South Sudan Wednesday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Team USA moved to 2-0 in group play with the win, as Durant, Team USA’s all-time leading scorer, came off the bench in his second game back from a calf injury. Even coming off the bench, Durant only trailed Suns teammate Devin Booker in most minutes played by four seconds, logging 22 total.
Team USA's leaders in minutes in their second Olympic game, a 103-86 win over South Sudan:
Devin Booker (22:01, had a team-high 6 assists)
Kevin Durant (21:57, was a team-high +26)#Suns #USABMNT #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/RFWdfghYgd— Burn City Suns Talk ????️ (@BurnCitySuns) July 31, 2024
Durant finished with 14 points on 2-of-5 shooting (2-for-2 from 3, 8-for-9 on free throws), three assists, two rebounds and three steals in his minutes off the bench. The U.S.’s bench unit of Durant, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Anthony Edwards, Bam Adebayo and Tyrese Haliburton outscored South Sudan’s bench 60-14.
KD against South Sudan:
???????? 14 PTS
???????? 2-2 3P
???????? 3 AST
???????? 2 REB
???????? 3 STL???? @USANetwork & @peacock pic.twitter.com/MAT4jFe0GL
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) July 31, 2024
Durant is now a perfect 7-for-7 from 3 in the Olympics after going 5-for-5 from downtown in his 23-point outing against Serbia Sunday. Tonight, Durant not only did his thing offensively, but played a major role in a stout effort defensively by the U.S.
Durant’s Performance
Durant checked in for the first time with 4:10 to go in the first quarter and was quickly fouled on two shots, one from 3. He went 1-for-2 on the first trip and then made all three free throws when he was fouled on the 3-point attempt to put the U.S. up 16-10 with 2:57 left in the first quarter.
With 1:06 to go, Durant stepped in the passing lane to get an easy steal and was fouled on a transition take foul, converting both free throws and giving the United States a 21-12 lead. He missed a jumper on the baseline out-of-bounds play after the U.S. retained possession.
The U.S. led 26-14 at the end of the first, as Durant recorded six points, a rebound, an assist and steal.
Booker found Durant for a corner 3, Durant’s first field goal of the game, with 9:21 remaining in the second quarter to give the U.S. a 31-14 lead. Then, Durant recorded a steal the next defensive possession. Durant checked out with 6:47 left in the second quarter, but came back in with 3:15 to go.
Durant didn’t do much the rest of the quarter, as he recorded nine points (1-2 FG, 6-7 FT), two rebounds, an assist, two steals and was tied for a team-high +23 in 11 minutes in the half, and the Americans were leading 55-36.
Durant once again came off the bench in the second half and subbed in with 6:42 to go in the third quarter. He ended a 8-0 South Sudan run with two free throws and then found Derrick White for 3 on the next possession, which put the U.S. up 65-52 with 4:08 remaining in the period. Durant missed another shot near the close of the quarter, accumulating 11 points on 1-of-4 shooting, two rebounds, two assists, two steals and a team-high +25 plus/minus through three quarters. The U.S. took a 73-57 lead into the fourth quarter.
Durant remained in to start the fourth, playing mostly with Team USA’s starters, and cashed a 3-pointer with 7:59 left to put the Americans up 80-66. Perhaps the highlight of the night was pick-and-roll between Durant and Anthony Davis, as Durant skipped a bounce pass between two defenders to find Davis for a monster dunk. Durant checked out with 5:23 remaining and did not return.
Team USA will next play on Saturday against Puerto Rico at 8:15 a.m. MST, their final Group C game.
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
