TEAM USA didn’t experience the same type of turbulence that they went through the first time they faced South Sudan, but they still got pushed by this inspiring African squad nonetheless.
The Americans broke away early before repeatedly halting several attempts of South Sudan for a comeback to take a 103-86 win and book a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics men’s basketball tournament, Wednesday night at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France.
This win comes after a 26-point rout of Nikola Jokic and Serbia in their opener, giving the Americans an average win spread of 21.5 points over the first two games to look more and more like the perennial basketball powerhouse that they’ve been known for amidst talks of the country losing clout in the sport
As LeBron James started hitting one shot after another early in the first to keep South Sudan at bay, only to be substituted by an equally fearsome Kevin Durant, their distinction over the rest of the field couldn’t be any more clearer: These countries may have gotten better, but the Americans – at full strength – still remain the high bar that these improving countries continue to chase.
Durant scored nine quick points since coming in for James, starring in a 23-4 run to turn a 10-10 deadlock to a commanding 33-14 lead early in the second, a lead they never surrendered despite the tough fight that South Sudan showed, particularly in the second half.
Nuni Omot and Bul Kuol started finding their groove in the second half as South Sudan repeatedly drew to within 11 after trailing by as many as 22 points in the second quarter.
But the Americans’ depth was just too much to overcome with Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker and Derrick White all finding their mark in the second half to keep the Africans at a safe distance.
Adebayo led the Americans with 18 points and seven boards while Durant added 14 points.
James chipped in 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Team USA who flexed their deep pool of talent, as they got 66 points from the bench even without playing former MVP Joel Embiid.
Team USA joins hosts France, World Champions Germany and fellow North American squad Canada as the teams in the quarterfinals.
Omot led the way for South Sudan with 24 points, while Carlik Jones added 18 points and seven assists for the South Sudanese side who’s still in a good position to continue their magical run in world basketball with a win over Serbia in the final game day of the classification phase.
A win there for South Sudan would put them through to the quarters.
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