This was not a gold medal worthy performance for the US team.
With a view to the Paris Olympics later this month, the United States beat Australia 98-92 in a friendly match in the United Arab Emirates on Monday.
“In the third quarter, we started losing the ball,” U.S. Team Coach Steve Kerr said.
“We allowed a ton of points on the basket. Back cuts, offensive rebounds, things that changed the flow of the game. It’s a good lesson for us. Better to learn now than later.”
Australia attacked the U.S. team aggressively, scoring an astounding 68 points in the paint over the course of the 40-minute match.
The problems continued throughout the game, as Bam Adebayo hit Jock Landale, who converted an and-one to finish with a team-high 20 points and expose holes in Team USA’s defense.
Struggling on both ends of the court, a 20-point third quarter lead was eroded and Australia were within four with just a few minutes remaining.
The Americans had a rough fourth quarter, missing seven straight shots, while Australia led 14-2 with Tyrese Haliburton drilling a three-pointer from the corner.
The U.S. team finished the game with 18 turnovers.
“That’ll be a good video for us to watch,” Kerr said, “but I give a lot of credit to Australia, they were fantastic, they came out fighting, they played a really physical game, they outplayed us in the last quarter and a half and really upped the game.”
Stephen Curry couldn’t get on a roll, making just 1 of 6 three-pointers.
But fortunately for Kerr, he has the ability to replace All-Star starters with other All-Stars.
One of those stars was Anthony Davis, who finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds in 18 minutes.
“The strength of our team is our depth,” Kerr said, “and we have to take advantage of that depth.”
Another bench helper, Devin Booker, scored the decisive points in the fourth quarter to end Australia’s hopes of a comeback.
“We just couldn’t get comfortable. I think we got too comfortable going into the third quarter and took our foot off the gas,” Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, who had 14 points, four rebounds and two assists, told reporters.
“For us and for myself, I think the second group shares the ball more than the first group, so we’ve got to get each other involved a bit better.”
The U.S. team will face Nikola Jokic’s Serbia side on Wednesday in an exhibition match that will surely test their defensive prowess.
The two teams are scheduled to face off in their first Olympic match on July 28.
