Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker started his second exhibition game for Team USA and recorded five points in a narrow 101-100 win over South Sudan in London.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In total, Booker shot 2-for-5 from the floor, 1-for-3 from deep and had one assist, one rebound and a steal in 21 minutes. He was second on the team with a +14 plus/minus.
Booker started alongside Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, LeBron James and Joel Embiid, the same starting lineup USA used in its first exhibition game against Canada on July 10. He looked to improve his stats after only scoring three points in Team USA’s 105-79 win over Serbia Wednesday.
#Suns Devin Booker back in the starting lineup for Team USA. Same starters as the first exhibition game https://t.co/p1TrgntcmD
— Burn City Suns Talk ????️ (@BurnCitySuns) July 20, 2024
Kevin Durant missed his fourth straight exhibition with a calf strain.
Booker scored his first points of the game just a minute into it on an easy transition layup, part of an 8-0 run to begin the game for the U.S.
This lead did not last, as South Sudan went up by as much as 16 in the first half and took a 58-44 lead into the break. Booker’s best play from the second quarter came on a steal and then pass ahead to Jrue Holiday for a layup on a 2-on-1 fastbreak.
The U.S. came storming back in the third quarter. With 41 seconds left in the period, Booker hit a 3 to extend a U.S. run to 11-0 and tie the game at 76. Right after, Curry hit a 3 to give the U.S. its first lead since the first quarter.
DEVIN. BOOKER. TIE. GAME.
???????? #USABMNT x ???? @FoxSports pic.twitter.com/s1mg2b9XqR
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 20, 2024
Team USA barely held on to win the game 101-100 after James, who finished with a team-high 25 points, hit a game-winning layup with eight seconds remaining.
Team USA will stay in London for its final exhibition games ahead of the Olympics on Monday (July 22) at 12 p.m. MST against Germany. South Sudan and the USA are both in Group C in the 2024 Paris Olympics and will square off again on July 31 in Paris.
Team USA survives massive upset scare, defeats South Sudan 101-100
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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
