After a first half filled with turnovers and poor shooting, the U.S. came back strong in the third quarter before winning with a game-winning basket from LeBron James.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar’s 23rd point helped the US basketball team escape with a spectacular 101-100 score against South Sudan in a friendly match before the 2024 Olympics.
Watch LeBron James’ game-winner save the US team against South Sudan in dramatic fashion
This play showed how LeBron James is worthy of being the leader and captain of the US team. Before his game-winning basket, James was the focal point of a 25-3 run that helped the US erase the gap that the resilient South Sudanese team had created in the first half of the match.
With the help of Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis, the American team avoided one of the most humiliating defeats in history.
“We may have won, but I hope you don’t forget that South Sudan played a great game,” LeBron James said after the match.
“They have a lot of NBA talent and they play extremely well together. That’s why this game was tense until the last seconds and not overwhelming like many people expected.”
LeBron James led the US team with 25 points (10-14 FG) along with 7 assists and 6 rebounds.
His Lakers teammate Anthony Davis scored 15 points and 11 rebounds, bagging his third double-double in four games. Stephen Curry scored 11 points with an impressive series of 3-pointers at the end of the third quarter. Joel Embiid and Anthony Edwards contributed with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
On the South Sudan side, China-based Marial Shayok led the way with 25 points (6-12 3PT shooting). Alongside was Carlik Jones’ impressive triple-double of 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Jones was the NBA G-League MVP since… 2003.
As LeBron James shared, South Sudan played an excellent game. They led the U.S. by 16 points in the second half before the two teams went into the break with a 14-point lead.
Although still winning and maintaining an unbeaten streak in 4 friendly matches, Stephen Curry said this was an important lesson for the US team.
“We could have been beaten if we didn’t play the right way. And the right way was defense. While our shooters weren’t feeling it, we didn’t make it difficult for them and they took advantage and took the lead,” Curry said.
Stephen Curry Highlights from USA’s 101-100 win over South Sudan
“But this game also showed that if we play with focus and determination, the team can find its own special version to win. This is a strong team and we are still learning and improving.”
After this match, the US basketball team has another friendly match against the German team in London (England) before heading to Paris, preparing for the 2024 Olympics which officially kicks off next weekend.
