Kevin Durant scored 14 points and got the United States started on a dominant second-quarter stretch in a 106-78 victory over Croatia on Saturday in its opening game at the world championship.

Eric Gordon made four 3-pointers and had 16 points as US turned a close game into a blowout by limiting the Croatians to six points in the second quarter.

It was an impressive start for a US team without any players who helped them win the 2008 Olympics gold.

Instead of those superstars, the Americans are left with a young, undersized team that features Durant, the NBA's leading scorer, as its centerpiece.