USA survives Australia’s late rally

FROM what seemed to be an unbeatable team, the United States of America (USA) men’s basketball team came near to loss, escaping Australia’s late rally 98-92 in their show match hosted in Abu Dhabi. 

Despite being dubbed the impeccable team for the forthcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, Team USA will not always be harmonious given the talent on the bench, as demonstrated in their most recent show match. 

Throughout the game, the Americans had passing errors and communication failures that almost cost them the lead as the Australians closed the gap before the final siren sounded.

The nail biting game

The United States jumped out to a fast start in the first quarter, led by NBA all-time top scorer LeBron James and Anthony Edwards, who took turns shooting three-pointers. Edwards subsequently tallied 11 points to begin the game. 

That served as a jumping off point for the Americans, who quickly built a 24-point advantage in the early third quarter. However, the Australians refused to go home without a fight. 

Photo Courtesy: USA Basketball | Facebook

The Australian side chose the high road and progressively cut the lead, eventually reducing it to a single digit lead thanks to a Patty Mills three-pointer with less than six minutes remaining in the final quarter.

Team USA responded with clutch baskets to staunch the bleeding, including Tyrese Haliburton’s back-to-back corner threes, extending the advantage back to 12. 

Despite being down by as many as eight with 10 seconds remaining, the Boomers demonstrated tenacity and refused to give up just yet. Jock Landale made a basket and a foul to reduce the deficit to four. 

Given the USA team’s rich NBA experience, they were able to remain composed and rely on one another to defeat the Australians.

Steve Kerr’s take

Team USA may have won this display match, but head coach Steve Kerr seems displeased with the team’s performance. Saying that this game will be a valuable learning experience for the team.

“Third quarter, we started turning the ball over. We gave up a ton of points at the basket. Back cuts, offensive boards and so, the game shifted,” said USA head coach Steve Kerr.

Photo Courtesy: USA Basketball | Facebook

“It’s a good lesson for us. Better to learn that lesson now than later. And this will be a good tape for us to watch.”

“But I give Australia a ton of credit. They were great. They fought. They were really physical. Took it to us in the last quarter and a half and really made it a game,” he went on to say.

Game leaders

Anthony Davis led Team USA with another outstanding effort, this time a monstrous double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds. 

Photo Courtesy: USA Basketball | Facebook

Davis’ back-to-back game-winning performances have sparked debate on social media on whether he should take over the starting role from Joel Embiid. 

Along with him, Devin Booker had 16 points, Edwards had 14, and James, Embiid, and Bam Adebayo each had 10.

Landale led the opposing team with 20 points, followed by Josh Giddey (17) and Dyson Daniels (14). Despite the setback, Australia remains a medal contender in the much-awaited Paris Games.