After a slow start to the game, the United States men's basketball team found its footing and pulled away from Venezuela for a 113-69 victory in its second contest at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.The win gave Team USA a 2-0 record, matching Australia as the only undefeated squads remaining in Group A.Kevin Durant, who led the team with 25 points in the opening win against China, was excellent again, finishing with 16 points while going 5-of-5 from the field.Anthony Slater of theMercury News explained how good the forward has been to start the week:The latest addition to the Golden State Warriors didn't come back into the game in the fourth quarter.Carmelo Anthony added 14 points while also notching an impressive milestone for his career, per NBA on ESPN:He could potentially pass David Robinson, who's No. 2 on the list, and all-time leader LeBron James before the end of the tournament.Meanwhile, the bench was as good as ever, with Paul George (20 points), Jimmy Butler (17 points) and DeAndre Jordan (14 points and nine rebounds) providing great balance. With talent up and down the Team USA roster, it was clear Venezuela was overmatched.Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today remarked on the lack of notable Venezuelan players:With that said, 35-year-old John Cox did everything he could to keep it close, notching 19 points on the day. Former Creighton star Gregory Echenique added 18 points and seven rebounds.But it was too tough to score on the U.S. defense, as Venezuela managed to shoot just 34.4 percent from the field in the loss. Considering the initial 51-point spread, according toOdds Shark, it's difficult for Venezuela to be too disappointed.It didn't seem as though this would be a blowout early. Even though the United States beat Venezuela by 35 in an earlier exhibition, the underdogs weren't ready to go down without a fight.Durant scored the first seven points for Team USA, but the South Americans responded and went up 11-10. By the end of the first quarter, the two sides were tied at 18, much to the surprise of many watching around the world.Michael Lee of The Vertical broke down the difference between the two teams:Fouling was a major issue early, with Venezuela racking up easy points at the line, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe noted:However, the second quarter was more of what fans have come to expect from the Americans, especially on the defensive end. The second unit was especially impressive, locking down shooters and forcing turnovers, which often turned into easy points on the other end.Sam Amick of USA Today noted one of the turning points in the second quarter:That was part of what became a 21-2 run as the United States pulled away before halftime. A 30-8 second quarter made the score 48-26 at the intermission.Venezuela shot 26.7 percent from the field with 17 total turnovers in the first half."Their defense is so good because they can switch everything because of their length and athleticism," Venezuelan guard John Cox said after the teams' exhibition, per Jay Cohen of the Associated Press. "So there's not really another team in the Olympics that can do that."Although Venezuela continued to fight hard in the second half, the United States defense prevented the squad from mounting any sort of a comeback.A strong third quarter kept Venezuela's deficit at 24 heading into the final period, but after Team USA scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter, it was clear the game was over. The United States opened things up with 38 points in the last 10 minutes and closed out a 44-point win.Venezuela fell to 0-2 in the tournament, but the squad should provide a tough challenge for the rest of the teams in Rio. With an upcoming game against China on Wednesday, it has a chance to get into the win column.As for the United States, its next game will be the toughest yet: a matchup against Australia on Wednesday. Like the Americans, the Aussies are also 2-0 to start their tournament and feature notable NBA players like Matthew Dellavedova, Andrew Bogut and Patty Mills.Team USA better be prepared to play at its best from the start, or else it could be in trouble.Postgame ReactionVenezuela simply couldn't handle the depth of USA, which led head coach Nestor Garcia to make this assessment, per Tom Withers of the Associated Press:The Americans made 54.5 percent of their shots from the field and 40.9 percent from three-point range. The only player not to score was Klay Thompson, who surprisingly went 0-of-4 from beyond the arc including one air ball.As for the United States, the focus is already on the next game against Australia, which will likely be a tough one. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski explained the challenge after the game, per Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune:Team USA will once again be favored, but the final margin should at least be much closer.Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for year-round sports analysis.
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