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2024 Paris Olympics

LeBron James leads Team USA to 92-88 victory over Germany in final exhibition game

© Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

At 39 years old, LeBron James finished with a game-high 20 points and scored Team USA’s last 11 points en route to a 92-88 victory over Germany in London in the team’s final exhibition game ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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James, who will be the flag bearer for all of Team USA at the opening ceremony Friday, shot 8-of-11 from the field and 2-of-2 from deep and also had six rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal. He led Team USA in scoring for the second-straight game after he scored 25 in a 101-100 victory over South Sudan Saturday. 

Team USA used the same starting lineup as it did Saturday with Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, James and Joel Embiid. Kevin Durant missed his fifth-straight exhibition with a calf strain.

Derrick White replaced Tyrese Haliburton in the second unit alongside Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo  and Anthony Davis.

Embiid had his best game of the five showcases today with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, eight rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block. Curry only shot 1-for-7 from 3, but finished with a game-high +10 plus/minus, recording 13 points, two rebounds and two assists. Jrue Holiday scored eight of his 10 points in the first quarter and also had six rebounds, while Edwards led the bench in scoring with 11 points. Davis, who has been Team USA’s most consistent player, logged 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench after facing early foul trouble.

Germany, led by Franz Wagner, Andreas Obst, Dennis Schroeder, Daniel Theis and Mo Wagner, sure looked like the No. 3 team in the world in this contest.

Franz Wagner had a team-high 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Obst, one of the best shooters in Europe, converted four of his 10 3s for 14 points. Schroeder, the leader of the team, ended shooting 3-of-15 from the floor, but still had a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists. Most of these assists were to Theis, who recorded 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Mo Wagner pitched in 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

The Germans almost won despite shooting 35.8% (29-for-81) as a team compared to 49.3% (34-of-69) for the U.S. They shot a staggering 45 attempts from 3, converting 13 of them (28.9%), while the Americans were 6-of-17 from deep (35.3%). The U.S. turned the ball over 14 times, while Germany only had seven turnovers. 

In the end, it ended up being the sheer will of James to put the game away that did it in for Germany.

Team USA finished with a perfect 5-0 record in exhibition play with the win, despite some close calls.

Game Flow

Germany got off to a 13-8 start led by six points by Schroeder. Holiday then hit two-straight 3s to help the U.S. regain a 14-13 lead by the time its bench came in for the first time with 4:12 to go in the first quarter. The U.S. bench extended this run to 21-4 before Germany scored two free throws in the final second. Team USA was up 29-19 heading into the second quarter, highlighted by eight points from Holiday and all five players off the bench recording at least two points, led by Davis with five.

The Germans played much better defensively to start the second quarter. The U.S. had to mix and match lineups after Davis picked up two fouls early in the period. Germany cut the U.S. lead to as little as three, 42-39, with 2:30 remaining, but the Americans would not let them closer than this and were winning 48-41 going into the break. Two blocks by James and Embiid, James’ leading to a 3 by Curry and Embiid’s propelling a fastbreak that was capped off by an Edwards’ transition dunk, were the highlight plays of the first half for the U.S.

Germany began the third quarter on a 12-4 run to take a 53-52 advantage with 7:18 left in the period, their first lead since the first quarter. After trading buckets, the U.S. responded with an 8-0 run and suddenly led 62-55 with 5:37 to go. The Americans could not buy a basket and got turnover happy after this spurt, as Germany answered right back with a 9-0 run to go up 64-62 before Edwards made a jumper for the U.S. with two minutes remaining. The Germans continued this intensity and confidence to a 71-68 lead entering the fourth quarter, as Franz Wagner had a game-high 14 points.

Wagner, Schroeder (11 points), Theis (11 points) and Mo Wagner (10 points) were all in double-figures for Germany going into the fourth, while the U.S. had no players in double-figures, as James, Curry and Embiid all had nine points. The Germans forced 10 U.S. turnovers through the first three quarters, while only recording four of their own.

This finish to the third set up a back-and-forth fourth quarter. With Germany leading 82-81 with over four minutes to go, James went on a personal 6-0 run before Wagner hit two free throws with 2:10 remaining. A lob from Schroeder to Theis cut the U.S. lead to only one, 87-86, before James answered with a 3 on the other end. After getting a defensive stop, James used a bully-ball drive to seal the game with a layup that extended the U.S. lead to 92-86.

Next Up

Team USA will have six days off until its first Olympic game on July 28 against Serbia at 8:15 a.m. MST. The game will be televised on NBC.

Kevin Durant out for Team USA’s final exhibition game against Germany

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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

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