LeBron James saved the United States from a surprising defeat.
His layup with eight seconds left was the go-ahead basket and the U.S. Olympic team escaped with a 101-100 victory over South Sudan on Saturday in London, rallying from a 16-point deficit to avoid what would have been a major upset.
South Sudan, which gained independence just 13 years ago, had a chance to win. Carlik Jones had a good chance to shoot the ball with about four seconds left, but he missed.
James finished with 23 points, six rebounds and six assists for the United States, which improved to 4-0 on its pre-Olympic exhibition tour with one game remaining. Anthony Davis added 15 points for the Americans.
Marial Shayok led all scorers with 25 points for South Sudan and Jones had a triple-double: 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
The teams will meet in the group stage of the Paris Olympics on July 31.
JT Thor’s three-pointer with 20 seconds left gave South Sudan a 100-99 lead, then the Americans called a timeout and put the ball in James’ hands. He waited, waited, waited, then drove and put the ball in with ease to put the U.S. back on top, and the Americans got the stop they needed in the end.
An 18-0 run in the second half (with James involved in most of it) was what really saved the United States from what could easily have been considered the most shocking defeat in the history of the national team. It turned a 76-65 deficit into an 83-76 lead.
South Sudan, which was a 43.5-point underdog entering the game according to BetMGM Sportsbook, led by 16 at the end of the first half (58-42), before the Americans got the final basket to cut the deficit to 14 at the break.
It should have been a lopsided game, and for the first half it was, although not in the way anyone would have expected.
The U.S. roster features 12 players, all of whom are NBA All-Stars or champions, some of whom are both, who have totaled 189,038 points in their regular-season careers with 7,832 combined starts. South Sudan has four players who have appeared in an NBA game. They have scored a total of 1,228 points and have started 19 games.
It didn’t matter. After two and a half minutes, the score was 8-0 USA. Rest of the first half: South Sudan 58-USA 34. The Americans allowed South Sudan to shoot 61 percent in the first half, were outscored 21-3 from 3-point range, and turnovers (this team’s weak spot so far) were once again a problem.
But the 18-0 run helped save the day. James had four assists in the early going and Stephen Curry, from about 35 feet, hit a three-pointer late in the third quarter that gave the United States its first lead since the opening quarter at 79-76.
Wenyan Gabriel hit a three-pointer to bring South Sudan within 85-84, but James, his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate, hit a three-pointer on the next American possession, and the Americans would eventually hold on to the lead.
Barely.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.