Kenny Atkinson says 10 is "kind of the magic number" after the Cleveland Cavaliers extended their perfect start to the NBA season against the Golden State Warriors.

The Cavs triumphed 136-117 on Friday, becoming the first team in NBA history to win their first 10 games and score at least 110 points in each of them.

It is already their best-ever start to a season in franchise history, and they are the first team to register a 10-0 record since the Warriors themselves in 2015-16.

Darius Garland went 6-of-11 from 3-point range while totalling 27 points, while Evan Mobley added 23. All-Star Donovan Mitchell managed just 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting.

The new coach has so far impressed since replacing J.B. Bickerstaff, using his squad depth wisely during their winning streak, and he was delighted to continue it against tough opposition.

"10-0 is something. It's kind of a magic number, right?" Atkinson said.

"I was worried about tonight because the Warriors are champions. That surprised me, how ready we were, how hungry we were. 10-0 is really something for our team."

Atkison previously spent three years as an assistant coach to Steve Kerr at the Warriors before moving to Cleveland.

The Cavs ended Golden State's five-game winning streak on Friday, but Kerr was full of praise for the way his former colleague has transformed the Cavs so far.

"This was a great job to get, just like mine was 10 years ago," Kerr said.

"Now you're just tweaking things and seeing where you can get better on the margins rather than trying to grow something organically. It's a perfect spot and Kenny has taken advantage.

"[They're] clearly one of the best teams in the league."

Steve Kerr is confident the Golden State Warriors can get by offensively in the potential absence of Stephen Curry.

Veteran campaigner Curry suffered an ankle injury in the Warriors' 112-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.

According to Kerr, Curry described the issue as "mild or moderate" after he exited the game in the fourth quarter.

However, reports have suggested that Curry may miss several games, having sustained multiple sprains to his left ankle.

"I feel more comfortable that we can withstand an absence offensively without Steph because of [our] depth," said Kerr.

"He's doing okay. He’s said it was mild or moderate – he's sprained that ankle many times before, so he doesn't think it’s too bad, but obviously it's a concern."

Andrew Wiggins, who finished with 29 points and shot 11-of-15, is one of the players Kerr wants to see step up if Curry is to be out for a while.

"Wiggs is off to a great start and had a great night," Kerr said.

"He's an obvious candidate to get the ball more. But we've got a deep team. We've got a lot of guys who can play. We will be ready."

Curry's teammate Buddy Hield told ESPN: "We've just got to stick together. It'll be a great challenge."

That sentiment was echoed by Gary Payton II, who helped Curry off the court.

"[I just] shake my head," Payton said. "Hate to have it, especially with him. But we'll be all right.

"Hopefully he doesn't miss too many, but we've got to figure it out."

Curry has averaged 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists so far this season, across three appearances.

Steve Kerr believes the competition for places will allow the Golden State Warriors "a chance to reinvent ourselves" ahead of the new NBA season.

The Warriors are aiming to improve on a difficult 2023-24 season, during which they finished 10th in the Western Conference and missed out on the playoffs for only the third time in 12 years.

Kerr struggled to find his strongest combination and constantly rotated during the campaign, using 27 different starting line-ups.

Aside from Stephen Curry, who he sees as a guaranteed starter, the head coach does not think choosing his strongest team will be an easy task either.

However, Kerr is aiming to use the selection dilemma to his and his players' advantage.

"There is competition across the board," he told reporters. "It's not as simple as: 'Who is going to be the two?' It's got to be: 'Who is going to be the five? Who's the four?' We know that Steph is the one, but what's the combination?"

"The starting line-up is going to have to be dependent, not only on the first five fitting, but the second fitting as well. We've got a lot of work to do to figure out line-ups. All the guys can do is compete.

"This feels like a new beginning for us, whereas last year felt like an extension of who we already were. It gives us a chance to reinvent ourselves a little bit.

"It's easier when you know your starting five, and you know your first four guys off of the bench. [It is] way easier as a coach knowing that.

"But, we don't have that. So, let's turn that into a positive and turn it into competition. Let's establish our identity out of that competition."

Steve Kerr warned the United States must not "get lulled to sleep" by the fact they have already beaten Serbia twice recently.

The USA cruised past Brazil to reach the semi-finals of the Olympics, and Nikola Jokic's Serbia are next up.

Serbia have already faced the USA in the group stage, with the four-time reigning Olympic champions winning 110-84.

The USA also beat Serbia by 26 points in a warm-up match prior to the Games, but Kerr is taking nothing for granted ahead of Thursday's clash.

He said: "We can't get lulled to sleep because we beat them twice.

"We have to be prepared for their best effort. We've got to think about what they are going to do differently.

"Jokic, I guess he could play 40 minutes. What else do they have up their sleeve?"

It was a sentiment echoed by LeBron James.

"Every game is its own test. No matter what happened in the first two, it's about what goes down Thursday night," he said.

"So we need to lock in our film session, lock in during the day on Thursday, and then come out and be ready to go."

Jokic inspired Serbia to an Olympic-record comeback against Australia in the quarters.

How Serbia plan to manage Jokic's minutes is an intriguing question, but Joel Embiid is setting himself up to face the reigning NBA MVP for over 40 minutes.

"I guess we'll be ready for that," said Embiid.

"If that's what they think they have to do to try to beat us, then they won't hesitate to do that."

The United States' players must be prepared to take their moment when it comes as they go for Olympic gold, so says Stephen Curry.

A star-studded USA side have won all their games in Paris so far, but now the pressure is on in the knockout stage.

Brazil are their quarter-final opponents on Tuesday, and while Curry is confident the USA's attack is good enough to beat any team, he knows each player has to be 100% ready for clutch moments.

"That's how we can overwhelm teams," he said.

"It's just everybody has to be ready for your moment whenever it is."

For coach Steve Kerr, meanwhile, it is a case of the USA sticking to an identity and gameplan.

"It's important to focus on keeping that identity now that you're playing the best teams," Kerr said.

"We know what wins a FIBA game.

"We are just completely focused on our defense and then the beauty of our team and the talent, the depth of our talent is that from one game to the next, we've got lots of guys who have the ability to get rolling."

United States coach Steve Kerr wants to see higher levels from his team in the knockout stage of their Paris Olympics campaign.

Team USA stayed perfect by beating Puerto Rico 104-83 on Saturday, ensuring they sealed the top seed for the last eight.

That means the four-time reigning Olympic champions will take on the seventh seed, Brazil, for a place in the semi-finals.

Anthony Edwards led the USA with 26 points, while Joel Embiid chipped in with 15 and Kevin Durant delivered another fine substitute performance, scoring 11 points from the bench.

And while the USA have tallied up 317 points in their three wins so far, Kerr believes there is much more to come.

"I think we got done what we wanted to accomplish, winning all three games and securing the top seed," said Kerr.

"We know we have to play better. Part of this tournament is it gets harder as you go."

LeBron James added 10 points for the star-studded USA, and he knows it is now do-or-die.

"We know it's going to be difficult, it's going to be challenging," he said. "We better be ready to go."

In Group C's other game, Nikola Jokic scored 22 points and finished with 13 rebounds, while Bogdan Bogdanovic had 28 points, as Serbia saw off South Sudan 96-85.

While Serbia clinched the fourth seed to set up a meeting with Australia, South Sudan's inaugural Olympics campaign is over, with Greece scraping in as one of the two best third-placed teams.

Giannis Antetokounmpo's team will take on second seed Germany, who like the USA, won their three group games.

Steve Kerr laid down the marker for his United States team ahead of their final group game at the Paris Olympics.

Team USA won their first two Group C encounters, overcoming Serbia and South Sudan.

They face already-eliminated Puerto Rico on Saturday, and though they are assured of progression to the last eight, there is still plenty on the line for the USA.

Kerr's team must win by more than four points to be sure of clinching the top seed for the knockout stage, which would mean they would be drawn against the lowest-ranked team in the quarter-finals.

"We want the No. 1 seed," Kerr said. 

"It gives you the best matchup in the quarter-finals. So if we drop down to two or three – which I think is unlikely, but we've got to take care of our business – we possibly have a much tougher opponent."

Points differential is the primary tie-breaker to settle the seeds in the knockout stage. Canada and Germany both stayed perfect through their group campaigns, with the latter occupying the top seed as it stands with a differential of +43.

"The point differential is a big thing, and so even the first two games we were focusing on not taking our foot off like you do in the NBA sometimes," guard Derrick White added.

"So it's a little different than what we're used to, but that's all part of the tournament."

While Jrue Holiday nurses an injury, Anthony Davis is expected to feature for Team USA, while Kevin Durant is embracing his role as a super-sub.

"It's basketball," said veteran Durant.

"It really doesn't matter who starts. It's about really who finished the game, who put their impact on the game while they're in the game.

"So I just try to do my best to impact it any way I can."

Should the USA claim the top seed, they could go up against Giannis Antetokounmpo's Greece, who beat Australia to finish ahead of Spain in Group C.

Greece have to wait on the result of Serbia v South Sudan in order to see if they will qualify.

Stephen Curry has made it clear the United States have "appropriate fear" ahead of their upcoming encounter with South Sudan at the Paris Olympics. 

Curry, who helped Team USA to an opening 110-84 win over Serbia, echoed a sentiment pushed by his Golden State Warriors coach, Steve Kerr. 

Ahead of the Games, the USA endured a stern test against Wednesday's opponents earlier this month, narrowly avoiding a huge upset with a 101-100 victory in London.

South Sudan are making their first appearance at the Olympics, and got their campaign up and running with a 90-79 triumph over Puerto Rico. 

Despite South Sudan not having any current NBA players on their roster, they have plenty of experience within their ranks. 

The likes of Wenyen Gabriel, JT Thor and Marial Shayok all shone in their pre-tournament meeting with the USA, with Curry acknowledging a tough task lies ahead. 

"We have appropriate fear," said Curry. "We know we can't just sleepwalk through any game and feel like you're going to win."

While the USA are still the clear favourites to win the encounter at the Stade Pierre Mauroy, head coach Kerr said their previous encounter will be to their advantage this time around. 

"They came within one shot of beating us," Kerr said.

"I'm really glad that we played them so we can feel their speed and their 3-point shooting ability and feel how good they are."

"We'll be much better prepared [Wednesday]. But doesn't guarantee anything."

During their pre-tournament encounter, South Sudan scored 14 3-pointers against the Americans, making 10 more against Puerto Rico last time out. 

"The exhibition schedule was great because you got to figure out where we need to get better and also feel the force of teams that are coming trying to beat us," Curry said.

"They're a very high-octane offense, spread the floor, shoot a lot of 3s and have athleticism. So you just got to be mindful of how to guard them. It's totally different than Serbia."

Team USA are hoping to have everyone fit for Sunday's Olympic basketball opener versus Serbia, despite doubts over Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant.

Embiid and Davis have both been suffering from illness in recent days while Durant – Team USA's all-time record points scorer at the Olympics – missed their five warm-up games with a calf injury.

As the United States prepare to take on NBA MVP Nikola Jokic in their opening Group C game, coach Steve Kerr will give his stars every chance to prove their fitness.

"I'm confident we'll have everybody ready," Kerr said on Saturday.

Asked specifically about Durant's condition, Kerr added: "Hopefully he'll play. 

"He came through the scrimmage two days ago pretty well, and we'll have another practice today and just keep taking it day by day."

The USA did beat Serbia 105-79 in an exhibition game in Abu Dhabi earlier this month, also overcoming Jokic and company in the gold medal match at Rio 2016.

The Denver Nuggets star averaged 26.4 points through 79 regular season games in 2023-24, only managing more in his second MVP campaign in 2021-22 (27.1).

Los Angeles Lakers forward Davis is wary of the threat he will pose to the USA's chances of starting with a win, as they target a fifth straight gold in the men's basketball competition.

"Jokic, with what he's able to do, obviously we know what he does in the NBA, but maybe he'll get a little bit higher usage in the international game," Davis said. "It's going to be fun."

The NBA's all-time leading scorer LeBron James, who helped his country win gold at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, is aware a fast start to their campaign could make all the difference.

"This is not like the NBA, where it's a marathon," James said. "This is a sprint. 

"This is a Michael Johnson or Usain Bolt-type game. The real thing starts tomorrow, so we need to be ready to go, which we will be."

United States coach Steve Kerr wants to see higher levels of intensity from his team as their Olympics campaign approaches.

Kerr was unhappy with the lacklustre displays from his side in their warm-ups against Germany and South Sudan.

Germany led 71-68 at the end of the third quarter before LeBron James conjured up 11 points in the final four minutes to give the USA a 92-88 win, while South Sudan were 20 seconds away from pulling off one of the biggest shocks in basketball history, before eventually falling to a 101-100 loss.

The USA face a dangerous Serbia side featuring reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic on Sunday, and Kerr is adamant that improvements are required if they are to win a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.

He said: "It's got to be 40 minutes of force and attention and focus, and we can't let teams outplay us effort and energy-wise like we did the other night against Germany, like we did against South Sudan.

“We have another level. I think we have another two levels that we can get to, but it's a collaboration, always.

"We can show them, 'Let's do this, let's do that. Let's learn personnel.'

"We got to know the shooters, know the non-shooters, all that stuff. So that's where we can help them. Where they can help themselves is just effort and energy play after play, after play. This is different."

Kerr is a four-time NBA champion as a coach, and was part of the triumphant Olympics team in Tokyo in 2021, but the Golden State Warriors boss knows the experience of the Games will only be enhanced if the USA were to come out on top again.

"This should be one of the great experiences of our lives. But the best way to make it an incredible experience is to win a gold medal," he said.

After facing Serbia, the USA will once again go up against South Sudan, this time in a competitive format, before ending the group stage with a match against Puerto Rico.

Team USA basketball coach Steve Kerr says there is "no thought" of replacing Kevin Durant in the Olympic squad despite him suffering with a calf strain.

The USA played their final warm-up game ahead of the Games, with LeBron James starring as they beat Germany 92-88 in London on Monday to make it five wins on the bounce.

However, Durant has not played in any of those five pre-Olympic games due to a right calf injury he sustained while training last month.

Despite stepping up his training in the last week, he is still a doubt for their opener against Serbia on Sunday.

Kerr has until Saturday to finalise his roster for the Games, and insisted he would not be calling up a replacement for Durant, who he hopes will get to train with the rest of the team when they travel to Paris.

"There's no thought of replacing Kevin," Kerr said. "I was hoping he would get a game in here, but it just didn't work out that way.

"When he missed time, he came right back - and he is who he is.

"He's one of the most skilled players of all time. So, we hope he comes back soon, and I think he'll fit right in."

The USA are aiming to win a fifth consecutive gold medal at this year's Olympics, and will also face South Sudan and Puerto Rico in Group C.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes there is a "lot of value" in the team keeping their core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson together, as the latter of the trio prepares to hit free agency.

The Warriors' season came to an abrupt end on Tuesday as they were dumped out of the Play-In Tournament by the Sacramento Kings, falling to a 118-94 defeat to their upstate rivals. 

It is the third time in the last five seasons that Golden State – who have won four NBA championships under Kerr – have missed out on a playoff berth. 

That has led to questions being asked about the team's future, and they have a decision to make over Thompson as the 34-year-old prepares to become an unrestricted free agent.

While the Warriors have outlined their desire to keep Thompson, he has been linked with the Orlando Magic and Dallas Mavericks and says his priority is playing for a championship contender. 

Speaking at his exit interview on Thursday, Kerr spoke of the difficulties of breaking up great teams and said he was keen to continue working with the Warriors' 'big three'. 

"It's rarely a storybook," Kerr said. "Even the '96 or '98 Bulls, the team was broken up and we won the championship in our last year but there was a documentary about what a disaster the whole thing was. It's impossible for this stuff to end perfectly.

"I do think there is a lot of value to having our three guys being Warriors for life. I think there's a lot of value in ending with dignity.

"For those three, I really want to see all of them finish their careers here, but also finish out their careers with a sense of pride and dignity in what they're doing."

Much of the Warriors' season was overshadowed by discussions regarding Green's ill-discipline, with the forward being ejected four times in 2023-24.

Green also missed 16 games after receiving an indefinite suspension for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face in December, an incident that Kerr described as "unforgivable".

However, Kerr still believes Green is worth the trouble, saying: "Yet I forgave him. He's one of the most competitive, one of the smartest players I've ever been around. 

"Yet he makes these decisions that hurt the team, that aren't smart. So how do you reconcile all that? It's really difficult. 

"The number one thing I would say is, if we decided he wasn't worth it then we would have moved off of him years ago. 

"But he's worth it and he's worth it not only because of the banners that are hanging out there but because he really is a wonderful human being."

Klay Thompson says winning remains his priority as he prepares to enter free agency and is grateful to hear the Golden State Warriors are keen on keeping him in San Francisco.

Thompson's five-year contract with the Warriors – who selected him 11th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft – is due to expire following an abrupt ending to their 2023-24 campaign.

The Warriors were eliminated from the Play-In Tournament by the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, with Thompson shooting 0-for-10 from the field in a 118-94 defeat at Golden 1 Center.

The four-time NBA champion is yet to agree fresh terms and has already been linked with the Orlando Magic and the Dallas Mavericks. 

Asked what the future holds in his exit interview on Wednesday, the 34-year-old said the ability to compete for a fifth championship would play a huge role in determining where he will play next year.

"Considering it's April 17, I don't think I have to pivot that quickly," Thompson said. "When is free agency? July 1? Yeah, I've got some time.

"I want to keep winning. When you've been a part of winning seasons, you don't really want to go away from that. So I would like to win again. One for the thumb would be nice. 

"I still think it's within reach. Other than that, you've just got to think about what will really make you happy in the last few years of your career.

"Every year I give my best effort, and the ownership group has been great. I have nothing but positive things to say about them.

"It's up to them, but at the end of the day, whatever happens, it's all gravy. It's been such a special run."

Several key figures around Golden State have outlined the importance of keeping Thompson. After Tuesday's Play-In elimination, Stephen Curry said he couldn't imagine playing without him, while Draymond Green insisted "there isn't any scenario" where he moves on.

Head coach Steve Kerr also said the Warriors need Thompson to return, and those comments have gone down well with the soon-to-be free agent. 

"It means a lot," Thompson said when those quotes were put to him. "I mean, we've been through the highest of highs and lows. 

"Whether it's losing a championship, winning a championship, missing the playoffs, we've been through everything together, so that does mean a lot. 

"It makes me grateful to have the times I've had with them. Like, that was pretty historic stuff."

Steve Kerr pointed to the chemistry within the Golden State Warriors' roster after his team won for a seventh time in 10 games.

Stephen Curry inspired the Warriors on Wednesday, finishing with 29 points, eight rebounds and five assists as Golden State saw off the Milwaukee Bucks in style, winning 125-90.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points on his return to the Bucks' fold, but it was not enough to extend Milwaukee's winning streak to seven.

Kerr has looked to rotate his roster this season, and he believes the competition for places, is helping to drive his team's push for the playoffs, as Golden State moved to a 34-30 record.

"I'm really so impressed with this group, and I have been all year," Kerr told the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Chemistry and commitment to each other, the professionalism, staying with it when it's not their turn."

Draymond Green added: "I can't take plays off, there's no reason.

"I think that's one of the beautiful things about this. Everybody should be flying around, you're not playing a million minutes, so give everything you've got."

Despite losing by 35 points, Bucks coach Doc Rivers pointed fingers at Milwaukee's offense, not their defense.

"I really didn't think this was our defense, I thought it was our offense," coach Doc Rivers said.

"I didn't think we played solid offense all night."

Steve Kerr revelled in the "crazy" luxury of being able to bring Chris Paul and Klay Thompson off the bench as the Golden State Warriors continued their fine form on Tuesday.

Golden State have hit their stride in February to move back into playoff contention in the West, despite missing veteran point guard Paul.

The 38-year-old was traded to the Warriors by the Washington Wizards at the start of the season, having previously been moved on by the Phoenix Suns, but had been restricted to 32 games and 11 starts prior to returning against the Wizards.

Paul made his comeback from the bench following his recovery from surgery on a left hand fracture, and he was joined in the second unit by Klay Thompson.

Those options in reserve were especially useful to Kerr in this 123-112 win as superstar starter Stephen Curry was held scoreless through the first half.

Curry finished with 18 points, but he was outshone by Thompson, who had 25, while Paul played a key role in the decisive third quarter in which the Warriors outscored the Wizards 38-17.

"What a luxury to come off the bench with Chris Paul and Klay Thompson," coach Kerr said. "That's crazy."

"You've got two Hall of Famers in the backcourt coming off the bench," Thompson added. "That's such a rare feat, so we take pride in that.

"[Paul] makes my life much easier, much easier. Just his ability to read the game, hit me in stride, on time, on target, he's probably one of the best in history at doing that."

Kerr continued: "We've been playing pretty well over the last month or so, but we've really been looking forward to getting Chris back.

"You could see why tonight. He's a plus-17 in 21 minutes, always in control of the game. The way we closed the third quarter was really important, and he was at the helm."

Paul is not getting carried away just yet but acknowledged that strength in depth and affirmed his commitment to taking on whatever role Kerr asks of him.

"It's one game, one game," Paul said. "We've still got a lot of work to do as a team, as a unit.

"We have so much depth, so many different ways that we can play, that it's going to take us a little while to figure it out. But obviously, you want to figure it out and win at the same time.

"We've got a really good group of guys on this team, and [Kerr is] going to need different things every night.

"You know one thing about me though: I know who I am and what I'm capable of. You know what I mean? There ain't any question about that. I'll always be ready, and I think he knows that."