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2024 Paris Olympics

WATCH: Devin Booker’s Team USA highlights in 86-72 exhibition victory over Team Canada

© Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker finished with nine points, two rebounds and two assists in Team USA’s 86-72 victory over Team Canada in its first exhibition game tonight in Las Vegas.

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Booker got the starting nod alongside Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, LeBron James and Joel Embiid. Suns teammate Kevin Durant was out tonight with a minor calf strain.

As he showed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Booker looked like a completely different player in FIBA play, as he was willing to do all the dirty work on both sides of the ball. He totaled 20 minutes and shot 4-for-6 from the floor (1-for-2 from 3).

Booker got an early offensive rebound in the first couple minutes of the game, but the U.S. struggled early with eight first-quarter team turnovers. Booker scored his first points midway through the second quarter on back-to-back possessions.

His first bucket came on a pull-up jumper that he banked in to give the U.S. its first lead of 25-23 with 6:38 left in the second quarter.

Then, a LeBron James block led to his next made shot on a 3-pointer from the wing off an assist by Joel Embiid.

At the half, Booker had recorded these five points on 2-of-3 shooting and an offensive rebound. He was the only starter to play double-digit minutes, as coach Steve Kerr put him in toward the end of the half with the second unit, who had been playing much better than the starters.

Booker’s first points of the second half came midway through the third quarter on a contested mid-range jumper to stop an 8-0 Canada run. The next possession down, Booker found Joel Embiid for a jump shot.

His ninth point was on a putback layup off a LeBron James miss in transition.

Booker did not score the rest of the game, playing five more minutes in the fourth quarter, but did have this nice defensive stop:

Team USA will now head to Abu Dhabi for its next two exhibition games, the first of which will be on July 15 against Australia. The U.S. begins Olympic play on July 28 against Serbia.

Team USA defeats Canada 86-72 in 1st Olympic exhibition game

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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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