Dominicans no match

And even with another loss from its roster, the U.S. Olympic basketball team just keeps on rolling along.

Durant picked up where he left off in international competition, scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to lead the Americans to a 113-59 victory over the Dominican Republic on Thursday night in an exhibition game.

Durant, the MVP of the world basketball championships two years ago, came off the bench to shoot 9 of 11 from the field, making 5 of 6 three-point attempts in 22 minutes. He said coach Mike Krzyzewski told him shortly before the game that Carmelo Anthony would start alongside LeBron James at forward, and he adjusted just fine.

"It felt good to me," Durant said. "It was cool to come off the bench for the first time. Wherever they need that spark, I'm going to try to come out and give them that spark. So I was looking forward to having different roles playing with USA, so it was kind of fun for me, actually."

And it worked perfectly for the Americans, who continue to shake off their lack of size by throwing together lineups that negate any height disadvantage. Durant came in the first time for center Tyson Chandler.

"The way we're playing is exactly the way we should play, I think, with this group of athletes and with the depth that we have," Krzyzewski said, adding that Durant would remain a reserve for at least the next game. "We have good depth, especially on the perimeter."

Former Arizona Wildcat Andre Iguodala added 18 points, and Anthony had 13 for the Americans, who were without All-Star forward Blake Griffin. The Los Angeles Clippers announced Thursday night that he would need surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee and would miss the Olympics.

It's another loss up front for the Americans, already without Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh. But James, Anthony and Durant can all play power forward or perhaps even center in the international game.

"They're big," said Dominican Republic coach John Calipari, who won the national championship with Kentucky in April. "They're bigger than you think."

Alternate Anthony Davis took Griffin's place and was in uniform against his college coach. Davis, the national player of the year as a freshman and the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, didn't make the 12-man roster after being unable to scrimmage before it was selected while recovering from a sprained ankle. But USA Basketball leadership believes his rebounding and shot blocking could come in handy. He scored nine points in 10 fourth-quarter minutes.

James and Kobe Bryant both had limited duty, playing fewer than 18 minutes each and combining for 11 points.

On StarNet: Follow our coverage leading up to and through the London Olympics at azstarnet.com/olympics

Up next

• What: Brazil vs. USA, exhibition

• When: 5 p.m. Monday

• TV: ESPN2