The US men's basketball team arrives in France, with its Paris Olympics opener on Sunday

VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ, France (AP) — And now, the real work begins for the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team.

The four-time defending gold medalists arrived in France on Wednesday to begin their final preparations for the Paris Games. Their train from London arrived in their early afternoon, a couple of hours before the team held a photo shoot and acclimation practice at the arena where it will play its three group-stage games starting Sunday with a matchup against Serbia.

“We had a really good 45 minutes of getting up and down," U.S. coach Steve Kerr said. "Not scrimmaging, but a lot of running and shooting. And then, some prep for Serbia as well.”

The big news of Day 1 in France: Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant practiced. The three-time Olympic gold medalist, who hasn't played yet for the Americans this summer, was a full participant in practice, Kerr said. That's a good sign for Durant, who has been dealing with the aftereffects of a calf strain he suffered a few days before training camp started July 6.

“It’s always a collaboration,” Kerr said. “It’s not just our training staff. (USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill) is constantly in touch with Kevin’s people, with the Suns. This is not going to be like us going out and saying, ‘Hey, let’s just throw him out there.’ This will be a big collaboration.”

The next step for Durant will be a scrimmage on Thursday, Kerr said, insisting that the Americans have no concerns that Durant will not be able to play in the Olympics.

The U.S. opens its Olympic slate against Serbia, followed by games with South Sudan on July 31 and Puerto Rico on Aug. 3. The tournament then shifts from Lille to Paris for the knockout stage: quarterfinals are on Aug. 6, semifinals are on Aug. 8 and the medal games are Aug. 10.

And, unlike the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games that took place three years ago, there will be crowds. Tickets for Sunday's opener are almost impossible to secure now, even on secondary markets. It will be a far cry from the empty arenas the Americans took the floor in when they were in Japan in 2021.

“I've been a student of the game for a long time, so I know how big the Olympics are and always have” been, said U.S. guard Devin Booker, part of the gold-winning team in 2021. “I was robbed of that in Japan, but I always knew the stakes of it.”

Said U.S. center Bam Adebayo, another part of that Tokyo team: “Obviously, it's way different than Tokyo. It's good for it to feel somewhat back to normal, have people in the stands. This is my second time, but feels like my first real, official Olympics.”

The team is scheduled to practice in Paris starting Thursday and then — led by U.S. Olympic flag bearer LeBron James, who will serve in that role alongside tennis star Coco Gauff — will take part in the opening ceremony down the Seine River on Friday.

The Americans went 5-0 in a slate of pre-Olympic exhibitions, beating Canada in Las Vegas, Australia and Serbia at Abu Dhabi, then upstart Olympic newcomer South Sudan and World Cup champion Germany in London. But the last two wins came by a total of five points, not the sort of margin many might have expected considering the Americans were 43.5-point favorites over South Sudan and 15.5-point favorites over Germany.

“I think we can get a lot better,” Kerr said. “We’re getting to a place where we are comfortable with our rotations and I think guys are getting familiar with each other. But we can do a lot of things better.”

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

The United States Men's National Basketball Team arrive at St Pancras Station with teammates, to take the Eurostar train as they make their way to the Olympic Games in Paris, in London, Wednesday, July 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

United States' Anthony Davis, centre, arrives at St Pancras Station with teammates, to take the Eurostar train as they make their way to the Olympic Games in Paris, in London, Wednesday, July 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

United States' Kevin Durant arrives at St Pancras Station with teammates, to take the Eurostar train as they make their way to the Olympic Games in Paris, in London, Wednesday, July 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

United States' Steph Curry, centre, Kevin Durant, background left, and Joel Embiid arrive at St Pancras Station with teammates, to take the Eurostar train as they make their way to the Olympic Games in Paris, in London, Wednesday, July 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

United States' Steph Curry, left, Tyrese Haliburton, centre, and Bam Adebayo, arrive at St Pancras Station with teammates, to take the Eurostar train as they make their way to the Olympic Games in Paris, in London, Wednesday, July 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

United States' LeBron James, centre, arrives at St Pancras Station with teammates, to take the Eurostar train as they make their way to the Olympic Games in Paris, in London, Wednesday, July 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

United States' LeBron James, centre, arrives at St Pancras Station with teammates, to take the Eurostar train as they make their way to the Olympic Games in Paris, in London, Wednesday, July 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

United States' LeBron James arrives at St Pancras Station with teammates, to take the Eurostar train as they make their way to the Olympic Games in Paris, in London, Wednesday, July 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

The United States Men's National Basketball Team pose for photographs at St Pancras Station with teammates as they take the Eurostar train as they make their way to the Olympic Games in Paris, in London, Wednesday, July 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

The United States Men's National Basketball Team pose for photographs at St Pancras Station with teammates as they take the Eurostar train as they make their way to the Olympic Games in Paris, in London, Wednesday, July 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Cam Rising threw for 92 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game due to an injury to his throwing hand as No. 11 Utah beat Baylor 23-12 on Saturday.

Rising scrambled and released the ball just before being driven out of bounds and was shoved into the water coolers on the Baylor sideline with 1:55 left in the second quarter, and went to the locker room for X-rays. Backup quarterback Isaac Wilson led the Utes’ offense after halftime for a second straight game.

Micah Bernard rushed for 118 yards to lead Utah (2-0).

Dequan Finn threw for 115 yards and a touchdown in his second start for Baylor (1-1). Finn struggled against Utah’s defense, losing a fumble and getting sacked three times.

Utah controlled play on both sides of the ball in the first half.

The Utes got on the board midway through the first quarter when Money Parks caught a short pass and turned it into a 28-yard reverse. Rising faked a handoff to Dijon Stanley before flipping the ball to Parks, who scored untouched.

Utah extended its lead to 14-0 on a 2-yard catch by Micah Bernard 20 seconds later. Connor O’ Toole forced Finn to fumble on a blindside hit and Karene Reid recovered the ball at the Baylor 3, setting up the Utes’ second touchdown.

Baylor had minus-10 yards on 10 plays in the first quarter.

Tao Johnson grabbed the ball on a blocked 50-yard field goal attempt and raced 77 yards down the sideline to extend Utah’s lead to 23-0 with 5:21 left in the second quarter. Johnson was the first Utah player to score a touchdown off a blocked field goal since Jay Hill in 1999 against Wyoming.

THE TAKEAWAY

Baylor: The Bears had a nightmarish start on offense and never fully recovered. Baylor did not gain a first down until midway through the second quarter and totaled 48 yards by halftime.

Utah: Another dominant performance for the Utes came at a price. Rising suffered an apparent injury to his throwing hand and an extended absence could affect the trajectory of Utah’s season.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Utah should move into the top 10 in the next AP Poll on Sunday following the victory.

UP NEXT

Baylor: Hosts Air Force on Saturday.

Utah: At Utah State on Saturday.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Utah quarterback Cameron Rising (7) throws against Baylor in the first half during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah quarterback Cameron Rising (7) tcarries the ball; against Baylor in the first half during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah quarterback Cameron Rising (7) runs past Baylor linebacker Keaton Thomas (11) in the first half during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)