USA Basketball provides first-look at potential Olympics rotations, shines in showcase against Canada, 86-72
The stars shined bright in Las Vegas during the Team USA vs. Team Canada Olympic Showcase, in preparation for the Olympic games at the end of the month. Led by committee, USA defeated Canada in the exhibition 86-72, with four Americans scoring double-digits in the bout.
Anthony Edwards lived up to his comments with the media during the week, leading the way with 13 points. Last summer, Edwards led USA’s FIBA World Cup squad in scoring, averaging 18.9 points per contest. Stephen Curry followed with 12 points of his own and 3 assists, and Jrue Holiday shined in his role with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Tyrese Haliburton provided a spark off the bench and finished with a game-high plus/minus of +17, logging 2 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block.
The Lakers’ star-studded duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James likely had the most complete games on the US roster, with Davis’ 10 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks and LeBron’s 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 1 chase-down block.
Head Coach Steve Kerr had the basketball world in a frenzy when news of his starting lineup broke:
Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid. Many of the general public questioned the use of Jrue Holiday, listed as a 6'2” point guard, being sent out to play the SF position in the game’s early goings. Holiday proved up to the task, showing off his defensive acumen and versatility by guarding several different positions throughout the game.
The US was facing a slate of NBA-level talent in their own right on Canada’s side: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, Dillion Brooks, RJ Barrett, and Dwight Powell, among others. Barrett (12), Brooks (10), and Gilgeous-Alexander (10) all had double-digit scoring numbers by the game’s close.
Ostensibly, Team USA faced some early struggles, falling to an 11-1 deficit with 5:36 remaining in the first quarter. That drought was ended thanks to some timely substitutions: Anthony Edwards came in for Booker, Tyrese Haliburton came in for Curry, Jayson Tatum replaced LeBron, and Anthony Davis came in place of Embiid.
These substitutions gave us an early glimpse at the rotations Coach Kerr and the rest of the Team USA brass are considering as we inch closer to group play, but assuredly, these are subject to change. The young guys hit the ground running on the back of Edwards’ acrobatic scoring ability, resulting in six quick points from Edwards before he was subbed again at the 8-minute mark in the second quarter.
By then, the deficit had been erased to a single point, making it 21-20. Fast-forward to a crafty Tatum bucket with seven seconds left before halftime, and that one-point deficit had transformed itself to an eight-point lead, 41-33.
From the half-time buzzer on, America kept their lead and never wavered, making the 4th quarter effectively obsolete given the scoring cushion they provided themselves. Edwards’ buzzer-beating three-pointer to close the third quarter extended the American lead to 15, putting the exclamation point on the competitive portion of this exhibition.
Whether Curry and LeBron were gleefully smirking after their alley-oop connection or Tatum and Edwards joking around in the tunnel on their way back to the locker room, the energy surrounding the new-look USA Basketball Olympians was palpable.
The Americans will have their next taste of action across the sea in an exhibition against Australia on July 15th, at 12:00 pm EDT, in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
