The United States men's basketball team cruised in its exhibition against China on Sunday night, winning 106-57, as it continued its preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
"We're making great progress," Jordan said after the game on the NBA TV broadcast.
Yi Jianlian led the way for China with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Zhao Jiwei added 14 points and two assists.
The United States wasted little time in asserting its dominance, racing out to a 26-13 lead in the first quarter. Durant led the way with nine points in the quarter, including this pull-up three-pointer from well beyond the arc, via USA Basketball:
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 25, 2016
The new Golden State Warriors star's versatile game impressed ESPN's J.A. Adande: "Kevin Durant has three assists in his first four minutes of action. Looks like he's fitting into Golden State's offense before he even gets there."
Team USA continued to dominate in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 55-29 lead. Durant led all scorers with 14 points and four assists. Cousins added 12 points, Thompson notched nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, and Carmelo Anthony posted just two points but added six rebounds.
Kyrie Irving closed out the half in style, as USA Basketball showed:
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 25, 2016
And then there was Jordan, who impressed with this vicious dunk, via USA Basketball:
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 25, 2016
Cousins' strong first half was a reminder of what he could accomplish with a different NBA franchise, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com observed:
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) July 25, 2016
Meanwhile, Yi led China with 10 first-half points.
The United States continued to extend its lead in the third, holding China to nine points in the quarter to push the margin to 78-38. Thompson was excellent, scoring seven points in the period.
And Jordan continued his dunking exhibition, via the NBA:
— NBA (@NBA) July 25, 2016
— NBA (@NBA) July 25, 2016
Little changed in the fourth quarter, as Durant and Co. continued to dominate. The Warriors star capped off an impressive performance with this transition finish, via the NBA:
— NBA (@NBA) July 25, 2016
Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report felt Durant was the team's catalyst throughout the contest:
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) July 25, 2016
Team USA's offensive outburst will attract the highlights and headlines, but basketball writer Dick Weiss was impressed with how the team fared on the other end of the court:
— Dick Weiss (@HoopsWeiss) July 25, 2016
These teams will meet again Tuesday evening. The United States will be the prohibitive favorites to win the gold medal in Rio, and performances like Sunday night's blowout and Friday's 111-74 triumph over Argentina will do little to dispel that notion.
Still, the competition will be stiffer in Rio, as Weiss noted:
— Dick Weiss (@HoopsWeiss) July 25, 2016
But given Team USA's bounty of NBA superstars, anything less than a gold medal would be a significant surprise and disappointment. The United States has won the gold in five of the last six Olympics, failing to do so only at the 2004 Athens Games, where Team USA infamously fell short with a bronze medal.
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