“Kevin Durant weakens USA-Czech relations with mean ankle-breaker”: 4-time NBA scoring champion puts on fantastic display, passes Carmelo Anthony as Team USA’s most prolific scorer ever

Kevin Durant has been under fire for his performances for Team USA of late. But he just passed Carmelo Anthony as their highest scorer ever.

Few players have ever suffered from their success as much as KD has. His move to the Warriors was universally panned at the time and continues to draw him haters, 5 years later.

The hate seemed to relent for a bit after he put the Brooklyn Nets on his back in the playoffs. But when Team USA lost 2 exhibition games to Nigeria and Australia before losing to France at Tokyo, the pendulum of hate swung the other way once again.

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However, KD bade his time and waited for the rest of the team to get on the same wavelength. The team, as a whole, has improved its performances in both games since their defeat in the opening game.

Durant was in his element as Team USA battled back from a first-quarter deficit to seal a second blowout win. He left the court with over half of the 4th quarter to go, having overtaken Carmelo Anthony on Team USA’s all-time scoring charts in the first half.

Kevin Durant broke Ondřej Balvín’s ankles in the 3rd quarter, set Jrue Holiday up with a dime

One of the underrated highlights from USA’s 2nd half barrage came early in the 3rd quarter. The team was still only 8 points adrift of the Europeans, but Kevin Durant had begun working his magic.

The Slim Reaper took on Ondřej Balvín off the dribble on the right-hand side of the floor. Balvin was left sprawling on the floor as KD’s double crossover broke his balance. KD dumped the ball off to Jrue Holiday for the easy finish.

Kevin Durant weakens USA Czech relations with the mean ankle breaker pic.twitter.com/856TtdTwQc

— hoops bot (@hoops_bot) July 31, 2021

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KD and Jayson Tatum were both in their element in what turned out to be a great outing for nearly everyone on their roster. They finished with an easy 119-84 that does not tell the whole story – they were 10 points behind in the 1st quarter.