Just two games into the United States 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 friendly victory, 106-57 over China on Sunday night.
DeMar DeRozan scored 13 points in his hometown Los Angeles, 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. The victory against overmatched opponents 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.”
After opening their showcase tour by trouncing Argentina in Las Vegas on Friday night, the US team posted another rout at a packed Staples Center. Krzyzewski is finding it difficult to disguise his early optimism, praising his team’s work in their brief practice time together.
And while they’re still learning their teammates’ tendencies and solidifying player rotations, the US looked remarkably connected for long stretches against China, who have no current NBA players, though they do boast 2016 draft picks Zhou Qi (Houston Rockets) and Wang Zhelin (Memphis Grizzlies).
Durant noticed it, as did Los Angeles Clippers centre DeAndre Jordan, who kicked off the festivities 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 per cent shooting. Krzyzewski believes the Americans will excel at defensive switching because of an abundance of versatile players.
“I think we’re learning more about one another, and our defence was there pretty much the whole game,” Krzyzewski said.
The US haven't lost a game since the 2006 world championships, winning 65 straight games. They're 47-1 in exhibitions since NBA stars took over the squad in 1992 with the famous "Dream Team", going undefeated since 2004.
While LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard all 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.”
Four-time Olympian Carmelo Anthony was the only holdover in the Americans’ starting line-up from 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 from 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 medallists from London, heard boos from the LA crowd during pre-game introductions after somewhat unpopularly signing with the Golden State Warriors this summer. 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 half-time lead.
The Chinese team’s most recognisable 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 7ft 2in centre taken by the Rockets in the second round of the draft last month, scored two points on 1-for-6 shooting. Exciting guard Zhao Jiwei of the Liaoning Flying Leopards 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 defecting from Oklahoma City to the Golden State earlier this month.
They’ll also meet August 6 in the opening game of Olympic competition in Brazil.
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Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
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Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
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Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Race card
1.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
2pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 84,000 (D) 1,400m
2.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,200m
3pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1.950m
3.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,800m
4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 68,000 (D) 1,000m