Kevin Durant leads U.S. to 106-57 exhibition rout of China
— -- LOS ANGELES -- Just two games into the U.S. basketball team's pre-Olympic tour, coach Mike Krzyzewski already sees the start of something big.
Kevin Durant scored 19 points, Klay Thompson added 17, and the Americans rolled to a second straight blowout exhibition victory 106-57 over China on Sunday. DeMar DeRozan scored 13 points in his hometown, and DeMarcus Cousins had 12 points and seven rebounds in the second stop on the five-city tour leading the Americans to Rio de Janeiro.
After opening their showcase tour by trouncing Argentina on Friday in Las Vegas, the U.S. team posted another rout at a packed Staples Center. The victory over an overmatched opponent was impressive, but Krzyzewski liked it more for the composed, cohesive manner in which the new teammates worked together.
"We should have won, but the way we won was excellent," Krzyzewski said. "We're really growing together as a group."
Krzyzewski is finding it difficult to disguise his early optimism, and he praised his players' work in their brief practice time together. Although still learning teammates' tendencies and solidifying player rotations, the U.S. squad looked remarkably connected for long stretches against China, which has no current NBA players.
Durant noticed, as did Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who kicked the festivities off by blocking a shot on China's first possession and throwing down an alley-oop dunk on the Americans' first possession.
"We've only been together a week, but it seems like we've been teammates for years," Jordan said.
Jordan scored 12 points and led a strong defensive effort with three blocks for the Americans, who held the Chinese to 30.9 percent shooting. Krzyzewski believes the American team will excel at defensive switching because of its abundance of versatile players.
"I think we're learning more about one another, and our defense was there pretty much the whole game," Krzyzewski said.
The Americans haven't lost a game since the 2006 world championships. They have won 65 straight games. They're 47-1 in exhibitions since NBA stars took over the roster in 1992 and have gone undefeated since 2004.
Although LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard declined the chance to play in Rio, the Americans who accepted the opportunity appear to be serious about winning without some of the nation's top stars.
"We're young, but we've got a bunch of seasoned pros," said Kyrie Irving, who had 10 points and four assists. "We've been on a lot of journeys, and we've crossed paths before, but now we're all coming together at the right time."
Carmelo Anthony was the only holdover from the Americans' starting lineup in Las Vegas while Krzyzewski works on chemistry and coordination. He put Paul George in with the starters, alongside Anthony, Jordan, Kyle Lowry and DeRozan, whose family watched courtside.
Both teams had early shooting struggles, but the Americans took charge with impressive speed late in the first quarter.
Durant, one of the two returning American gold medalists from London, heard boos from the L.A. crowd during pregame introductions. He quickly found his outside stroke with 14 points and four assists in the first half, and Cousins overpowered the Chinese down low for 12 first-half points on the way to a 55-29 halftime lead.
The Chinese team's most recognizable name to North Americans is Yi Jianlian, the Milwaukee Bucks' choice with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2007 draft. He spent five seasons with four NBA teams before heading back to the Guangdong Southern Tigers.
Yi led the Chinese with 18 points. Zhou Qi, the 7-foot-2 center drafted by the Houston Rockets in the second round last month, scored two points on 1-for-6 shooting. Exciting guard Zhao Jiwei scored 14 points.
The teams meet again Tuesday in Oakland, where Durant will play in front of his new home fans for the first time since he defected from Oklahoma City to the Golden State Warriors earlier this month. They'll also meet Aug. 6 in the opening game of Olympic competition in Brazil.
Related Stories
ABC News Live