OKLAHOMA CITY, July 29 2012 — It wasn’t pretty, but the USA Olympic basketball team got their first victory in 2012, beating France 98-71 on Sunday. The French team is formidable, made up of six NBA players, most notably a goggled Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs.
But it was the USA’s NBA stars that shone, led by Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant who had 22 points followed by the Timberwolves Kevin Love with 14 points. LeBron James continued his dominant year with 9 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds.
The game was sloppy with lots of fouls called throughout. The US had a hard time keeping out of foul trouble with Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony having to sit before halftime after picking up their third fouls.
The game began ice cold from beyond the three-point line, but the Americans eventually found a rhythm. The game started with six missed three-point attempts, but Durant, James and Kobe Bryant got six for 12 from three-point range. The French went 2-23 behind the arc.
France got within one point at the end of the first quarter, but James opened the second quarter with a three and the US went on a 12 to 0 run. The Americans continued to pull away and eventually put their opponents away for good with the 27-point victory.
USA Basketball plays Tunisia on Tuesday, July 31 for its next game.
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