USA vs. China Olympics 2016 Basketball (Men's) – Start Time, Watch NBC Live Stream Free: The Starting Lineup and TV Broadcast Info.
Some of the faces may have changed, but the end result is overwhelmingly expected to remain the same when Team USA puts its 45-game FIBA competition winning streak on the line Saturday, August 5 in their Rio 2016 Olympic opener versus China.
The Americans knocked off China by 50 points in an exhibition leading up to The Games and not much is expected to change when the two face off at 6 p.m. ET on NBC. You can watch a live stream of the action here and you can also find the TV Broadcast information as well.
Newcomers Lead the way
With the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry and Chris Paul all electing not to compete, the U.S. roster boasts such newcomers as Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler.
Holdovers Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant are the only returning players from the 2012 gold medal winning squad, while China counters with former NBA player Yi Jianlian and Zhou Qi, a second round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
In Team USA's 50-point annihilation earlier this summer, DeMarcus Cousins led the way with 21 points and Anthony chipped in with 20. As the game wore on, the Americans' combination of depth and athleticism simply proved too much for the over-matched China squad.
By the end of the night, Team USA had outscored China 34-13 in fast break points.
Things weren't much better on the interior, where the American duo of Cousins and DeAndre Jordan also wreaked havoc.
Krzyzewski Swan Song
Saturday's game starts a stretch of five games in eight days for the Americans before quarterfinal round play opens in just over a week.
These Olympics mark the final games for Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who is stepping down as coach after an eight-year run where he has already led the team to two Olympic gold medals, a world cup title and a 75-1 overall record.
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