The US team began its pre-Olympic exhibition tour against arguably its biggest gold medal competition. It was an encouraging start.
Led by Anthony Edwards and Anthony Davis, the Americans defeated Canada 86-72 in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The team has four friendlies to play over the next two weeks before heading to Paris, where it will face Australia, Serbia, South Sudan and Germany.
The game started like a battle, despite the two teams featuring the most NBA talent from top to bottom. Kevin Durant was out with a strained calf, and Team USA started with a starting lineup of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker and Jrue Holiday. The group didn’t seem to mesh particularly well, but the practice may have been more experimental than anything else.
Team USA did not score its first field goal until the fifth minute of play and was trailing 21-14 at the end of the first quarter. There was also the inevitable revival of the “rivalry” between James and Dillon Brooks, who had something to say before the game.
Fortunately, the Americans had plenty of opportunities to surprise Canada. When one quintet of NBA All-Stars fails, another awaits. The second quarter began with a 14-2 run and Edwards, as predicted, seemed to be the first choice in the second unit.
While it still wasn’t the prettiest basketball game, the U.S. team held the upper hand for the rest of the night, with fans enjoying moments like an alley-oop from James against Curry.
Edwards led the way with 13 points off the bench, while Curry, Holiday and Davis also scored in double figures. Davis also had the game’s only double-double, adding 11 rebounds, four blocks, two assists and two steals.
RJ Barrett led Canada with 12 points. Remember, international games are played in 10-minute quarters, not the NBA’s 12 minutes.
Considering Team USA narrowly defeated its Select team, led by 17-year-old Cooper Flagg, in a practice match earlier this week, Wednesday was a nice step forward. The Americans are still considered overwhelming favorites to win their fifth consecutive gold medal in Paris, and there’s little reason to believe that will change unless something drastic happens.
The U.S. team is scheduled to open its Olympic campaign on July 28 against Serbia, featuring reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokić.
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