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 United States rolled to a second straight blowout exhibition victory, 106-57 over China on Sunday night.
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 United States to Rio de Janeiro. 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.”
After opening their showcase tour by trouncing Argentina in Las Vegas on Friday night, the U.S. 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 U.S. team looked remarkably connected for long stretches against China, which has no current NBA players.
Durant noticed it, as did Los Angeles Clippers center 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 United States’ 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 United States, who held the Chinese to 30.9 percent shooting. Krzyzewski believes the U.S. 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 United States 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 roster in 1992, going undefeated since 2004.
While LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard all declined the chance to play in Rio, the U.S. players 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.”
Anthony was the only holdover in the United States’ starting lineup 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 U.S. team took charge with impressive speed late in the first quarter.
Durant, one of the two returning U.S. 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 defecting 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.
GREG BEACHAM
