By Ashley J. Williams 
For us basketball players, the path to the Olympic Games in Paris began with a victory.
Anthony Davis scored 13 points, Stephen Curry added 12, and the United States opened its schedule of games in Paris by beating Canada 86-72 on Wednesday night.
Junior Holiday scored 11 points, and Anthony Davis finished with 10 points for the U.S. national team, which has four more games before arriving in France.
File-Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers plays in an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Philadelphia. Kawhi Leonard will not be part of the U.S. men’s basketball team that will participate in the Paris Games. Kavi has been preparing for the Olympic Games over the past few weeks and trained well in Las Vegas,” USA Basketball said in a statement on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. He felt like he was ready to compete. However, he respects the fact that USA Basketball and the Clippers decided it was best for him to spend the rest of the summer preparing for next season instead of competing in the Olympic Games in Paris.” (AP photo / Matt Slocum, file)
Kawhi Leonard is retiring from the USA basketball team. for the Olympic Games in Paris
R. J. Barrett scored 12 points for Canada, while Shai Gilges-Alexander and Dillon Brooks scored 10 points each.
Former US President Barack Obama was at the game, as were many NBA coaches and dozens of American basketball dignitaries who came to the city to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Federation. Among them are Jerry Colangelo, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boehm, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dawn Staley, Lisa Leslie, Teresa Edwards and many others.
According to USA Basketball, the total attendance was 20,757, which is a record for any game at the T-Mobile Arena.
The United States led 11-1 midway through the first quarter, not-found its first six shot attempts. The other half: USA 40, Canada 22, and Americans scored 18 points for 28-64.3% during this period. By the break, the advantage was 41-33, and the Americans increased it to 69-54 in the fourth round.
Oh, and remember: in the United States, Kevin Durant (calf strain) and Derrick White (not yet on the team) were unavailable on Wednesday.
The first starting lineup of the summer was American coach Steve Kerr: Stephen Curry, Jr. Holiday, Devin Booker, LeBron James and Joel Embiid.
This could definitely change in the future. But if last year is any indication, then it’s a clear indication of Kerr’s mindset at the moment.
In the past, Kerr has warned against over-reading lineups, especially the first line of strike. That is, the top five he had in the first exhibition match last summer at the World Cup-Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Ingram and Anthony Edwards-started in the opening match of the tournament against New Zealand.