The U.S. Men's Basketball team dominated China, 119-62, in their opening game of the 2016 Olympics. The top-ranked team in the FIBA world rankings dominated both sides of the ball. From midway through the first quarter on, the result was not in question.
U.S. too deep for China
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As expected, the United States overwhelmed China on both ends of the floor. The United States shot 51 percent from the floor and 35 percent from three point range. The U.S. moved the ball well and got a bunch of open looks. On defense, the U.S.'s considerable size and athleticism advantage proved to be a challenge. The U.S. switched on every screen and contested almost every shot. The U.S. turned the ball over just 10 times compares to China's 25. The U.S.'s defensive pressure forced a lot of turnovers by the Chinese. The China miscues led to layups and flashy dunks by the United States. The U.S. owned the glass on both ends, 51-30, 18-7 on offense.
The U.S.'s aggressive mindset led to a 45-24 edge in free throw attempts. The Americans made 33 of their 45 tries, thanks largely to Los Angeles Clippers big man DeAndre Jordan. Jordan, a career 42.1 percent foul shooter, shot 3-10 from the charity stripe.
The United States' depth of talent proved too much of a challenge for China. Every member of the U.S. team scored four scored 10 or more. Kevin Durant led the U.S. with 25 points, 17 coming in the first half. The Golden State Warriors newest signee shot 10-14 from the field. Durant also shot 5-8 from three-point range. When Durant was not draining open threes, he used his size and ball handling skills to attack the weak China interior defense. Durant recorded six assists and four rebounds as well.
Sacramento Kings superstar DeMarcus Cousins scored 17 points on 6-8 shooting, five boards, and two assists. Cousins had a strong second half, scoring 11 points on 5-6 shooting. Cousins used his size and strength advantage to bully China's big men on the inside, where he either scored or went to the free throw line.
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving finished with12 points and five assists. All Irving's points came in the second half, nine on three consecutive threes late in the third quarter. Six of the seven U.S. bench players scored at least 6 points. Paul George led the reserves with 15 points on 4-10 shooting. The Indiana Pacers star finished a perfect 7-7 from the foul line.
A struggle for China
From the outset, China could not get going. China's only lead came 25 seconds after tip-off when Ding Yanyuhang's two free throws gave them a 2-0 lead. The U.S. tied 34 seconds later, took the lead a minute and a half later and never looked back. China needed to play the perfect game and did anything but. The Chinese shot just 35 percent from the field and 29 percent from long range. China took a lot of contested shots. The few open looks China got failed to fall consistently. Former NBA journeyman Yi Jianlian was the only China player to score double figures. The former sixth overall pick finished with 25 points and six rebounds. The 28-year-old shot 8-19 from the field and 2-4 from three-point range. No other China player took more than six shots. The next leading scorer for China was Li Gen with seven points in nine minutes.
What's next?
Both teams resume group play on Monday, August 8. The U.S. plays Venezuela at 6:00 EST. Following that, China plays a France team looking to bounce back from their blowout loss to Australia at 9:30 EST.