Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum benched as Team USA beats Serbia in Olympics opener
BOSTON – Team USA earned a group play win over Serbia in men's basketball group play at the Paris Olympics, but there was a noteworthy player who didn't crack the box score on Sunday.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum logged zero minutes in Team USA's win 110-84 victory.
Why didn't Jayson Tatum play?
Team USA head coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game that there was no injury concern leading to Tatum not playing.
"I went with the combinations that made sense. That was for tonight. He handled it well. He'll make his mark," Kerr said, via Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
Tatum's teammate Jrue Holiday had a strong game with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Boston's Derrick White chipped in 2 points, 1 assist and 1 rebound.
LeBron James, Kevin Durant lead the way
LeBron James made his Olympic return after a 12-year absence. Kevin Durant played for the first time this summer.
And the two most-experienced Olympians on this U.S. team opened the Paris Games — not to mention a bid for a fifth consecutive gold medal for the Americans — with a near-perfect show.
Durant made his first eight shots on the way to 23 points in less than 17 minutes, James added 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and the U.S. rolled to a 110-84 win over Serbia in the Olympic opener for both teams.
Durant is the all-time leading scorer in U.S. men's Olympic history.
He had five 3-pointers in the first half, including a fadeaway at the buzzer.