Team USA began its pre-Olympic exhibition tour against what could be its biggest rival for the gold medal. It was an encouraging start.
Led by Anthony Edwards and Anthony Davis, the Americans defeated Canada 86-72 on Wednesday in Las Vegas. The team has four exhibition games remaining in the next two weeks before traveling to Paris against Australia, Serbia, South Sudan and Germany.
The game started out as a slog, despite featuring the NBA’s two most talented teams from top to bottom. With Kevin Durant out with a calf strain, Team USA started with a starting lineup of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker and Joel Embiid. The group didn’t seem to work out all that well, but the drill might have been more experimental than anything.
The U.S. team didn’t make its first field goal until the fifth minute of play and was trailing 21-14 at the end of the first quarter. There was also the inevitable resurgence of the “rivalry” between James and Dillon Brooks, Who again had something to say before the match.
Fortunately, the Americans had no shortage of opportunities to attack Canada. When one NBA All-Star quintet falls short, another one awaits. The second quarter started with a 14-2 run and Edwards looked to be the number one option on the second unit, as prophesied.
It still wasn’t the prettiest basketball, but Team USA remained on top for the rest of the night as fans were treated to moments like an alley-oop from James to Curry.
Edwards led all scorers with 13 points off the bench, while Curry, Holiday and Davis also reached double figures in scoring. Davis also recorded the game’s only double-double, with 11 rebounds, four blocks, two assists and two steals.
RJ Barrett led Canada with 12 points. Keep in mind that international games are played in 10-minute quarters instead of the NBA’s 12 minutes.
Given that Team USA barely edged out its Select team, led by 17-year-old Cooper Flagg, in a practice match earlier this week, Wednesday was a nice step forward. The Americans are still considered the heavy favorites to win their fifth straight gold medal in Paris, and there’s little reason to expect that to change unless something drastic happens.
Team USA is scheduled to open its Olympic campaign against Serbia, home to reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, on July 28.