Team USA rolled to victory in their Olympics opener.
And “Easy Money Sniper” made it look easy.
Actually, Kevin Durant made it look perfect.
Not showing a speck of rust in coming off a leg injury, Durant led Team USA to a 110-84 rout of Serbia and Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.
After not playing in the exhibition tuneup games due to a calf injury, Durant was cleared shortly before tipoff.
He came off the bench with 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor, and 5-of-5 from behind the arc.
Durant hit his first eight shots and didn’t miss until the game was well in hand.
He scored 21 in his first nine minutes on the floor, finished a plus-20 and grinned and smiled throughout a Team USA domination of Serbia and three-time NBA MVP Jokic.
“I always love playing, but it was just the energy in here was incredible, there’s so many people here supporting the game of basketball, it’s just lovely to see,” Durant said in an on-court TV interview postgame.
“Man, it felt great. The leg felt great. I’ve been building with these guys for the last couple of weeks. I’ve been itching to get out on the floor, the training staff has been doing a great job with me so I’m just happy to have him out there with the guys now being a part of the team. It’s a great first start for us.”
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Team USA was actually down 10-2 out of the gate and let Serbia hit five of their first six before coach Steve Kerr called a timeout.
Team USA promptly reeled off nine unanswered in response.
They were still trailing 20-14 when Durant checked in and changed the game.
Durant — traded from the Nets to Phoenix at the 2023 trade deadline — sparked a 13-0 run that spanned the first and second quarters to give Team USA a 27-20 lead that they never surrendered.
After Team USA allowed an 8-0 spurt to see the lead cut to 46-44, Durant answered, followed by a steal and layup by Jrue Holiday.
Then Durant’s acrobatic floater capped the half, sending him into the locker room with 21 points on perfect 8-of-8 shooting.
Serbia opened the third on a 10-2 run, but Team USA opened the lead from there, showing growing cohesion as the game drew on.
“That’s what we’ve been talking about since day one in training camp, is being connected,” said Durant. “A lot of these other teams have been playing together since they were kids and we get together for a couple of weeks. So we had to build that camaraderie and that trust pretty quickly.
“You know, you see it out there. Everybody’s just playing for one another, moving the ball, defensively talking to each other. It’s just the pinnacle of basketball when you do that.”
Team USA plays South Sudan in Group C on Wednesday.