Kevin Durant has stated that he wants Team USA to "really make a statement" at the 2024 Olympics with "40, 50-point wins" against their opponents. There are four Olympic berths left to decide for the men's competition. However, currently, the USA's opponents could include France, South Sudan, Canada, Japan, Germany, Serbia, and Australia. Durant, a member of the initial player pool of Team USA, is a frontrunner to return to the squad, which is expected to be announced in May.
During the 2020 Olympics, in which Team USA won gold, they averaged a margin of victory of 25.4 points. However, this involved bouncing back from an opening game loss to France, who they would later beat by five in the gold medal match. Only one of Team USA's games, a 120-66 win over Iran, met Durant's 2024 benchmark of "40, 50-point wins". Team USA has won every men's basketball gold medal since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Kevin Durant Confronts Mavs Fans After Alleged Disrespect
Meanwhile, There was a tense moment before Suns-Mavericks last week as Durant appeared to take issue with comments made by two courtside Mavs fans. As the Suns came out onto the court for warmups, two Mavs fans appeared to shout something at Durant. In response, Durant came over to the couple and began staring them down as one of them continually asked him for a high five. However, the footage of the incident posted online makes it unclear what was said to Durant. However, it's clear that the Suns veteran was not happy with what was said. Furthermore, Durant was later seen going back over to the couple along with arena personnel.
The Suns would end up losing by ten as the team continued in their struggles to find consistency. Durant had 23 points and 6 assists in the loss. Furthermore, he did not address the pregame incident in the postgame media scrum. This remains a developing story.
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