Team USA fended off a strong comeback effort by Australia to win its second friendly ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics 98-92 in Abu Dhabi.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The United States, who was up 24 at one point, let its foot off the gas a little bit in the second half and the lack of chemistry led to 13 second-half team turnovers. Australia outscored the USA 55-45 in this half.
Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum replaced Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker and Jrue Holiday in the starting lineup from Team USA’s first exhibition game alongside Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Joel Embiid. Booker’s Suns teammate and all-time Team USA men’s basketball scorer, Kevin Durant, missed his second consecutive exhibition game with a calf strain.
Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum in the Team USA starting lineup over Devin Booker and Jrue Holiday from the first exhibition game. Coach Steve Kerr has said he will experiment with different lineups leading up to the Olympics https://t.co/Z4XVxvPc2X
— Burn City Suns Talk ????️ (@BurnCitySuns) July 15, 2024
Just as in the 86-72 exhibition win over Canada last week, the bench unit, which today consisted of Tyrese Haliburton, Booker, Holiday, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis led the way most of the game.
Davis recorded a double-double of 17 points and 14 points, as Embiid’s struggles to adjust to FIBA play continued. Booker was second in the team in scoring with 16, including four game-sealing free throws, and three rebounds.
Edwards was right behimd them with 14 points, including 11 in the first quarter. Embiid, Adebayo and James were also in double figures with 10 points each.
Former Phoenix Suns and current Houston Rockets center Jock Landale and Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey put on a very impressive showing for Australia. Landale outdueled Embiid most of the game, finishing with a game-high 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and six assists. Giddey recorded 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
The Boomers ended the game shooting 49-of-79 (49.4%) from the field compared to 33-of-68 (48.5%) for the U.S., but the Americans making 12 of their 29 (41.4%) 3s compared to 4-of-18 (22.2%) shooting from deep for Australia ended up making the difference.
Game Flow
Team USA got hot from 3 at the start, cashing in its four of its first five looks, two each from Edwards and James. Edwards scored 11 of USA’s first 19 points on 4-of-4 shooting before the bench came in with four minutes to go in the first. The Americans led 32-21 after the first quarter, as they shot 6-of-10 from 3, despite Australia recording seven offensive rebounds to only one for USA. The Australians shot 9-of-25 (36%) for the quarter, while the U.S. converted 9-of-16 (56.3%) field goals.
ANT JUST DID THAT. ????????
???????? #USABMNT x ???? @FS1 pic.twitter.com/uSweeqes6X
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 15, 2024
Team USA went into halftime up 53-37, led by Edwards’ 11 points (didn’t score in second quarter). The U.S. did a great job moving the ball around, assisting on 13 of its 17 made field goals (38 attempts). Landale would not let Australia go away, recording 13 points, four rebounds and three assists in the half. The Boomers also had 28 points in the paint compared to 10 for the U.S., who converted 8 of its 19 3s compared to 2-of-11 shooting from deep for Australia.
Team USA leads Australia 53-37 at halftime. 13 assists on 17 made shots for the U.S. is what you want to see in terms of improving chemistry. #Suns Devin Booker with 5 points, 1 rebound off the bench
— Burn City Suns Talk ????️ (@BurnCitySuns) July 15, 2024
The U.S. started the second half with its bench unit and began the half on a 12-4 run, highlighted by active hands defensively and on the glass, as well as smart basketball offensively, led by Davis and Booker. However, Australia next went on a 14-2 run to cut the USA lead to 12 (67-55), mostly after USA’s starters checked back in, due to turnovers piling up for the Americans. USA led 76-61 heading into the fourth.
Anthony Davis throws it down WITH AUTHORITY ????
???????? vs. ???????? live on FS1 pic.twitter.com/PmgqTu0Mz0
— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2024
The turnover problems persisted in the fourth quarter, as Australia got the lead down to as little as 6 with over five minutes to go, starting the fourth quarter on a 19-10 spurt. The United States had 13 turnovers in the second half, but two-straight Haliburton corner 3s with around three minutes to go put the U.S. up 12. Booker cashed in four straight free throws with under 10 seconds remaining to help the U.S. finish off its 98-92 victory and avoid its fourth-ever loss in exhibition play.
Next Up
Team USA will play its next exhibition on Wednesday at 9 a.m. MST against Nikola Jokic and Serbia in Abu Dhabi.
WATCH: Devin Booker discusses goals for Team USA, 2024 Paris Olympics
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
