The USA Basketball Showcase featured a game between the American team and Australia at Etihad Arena as a prelude to the Paris Olympics.
- Stephen Curry acknowledges that adjusting to playing on a stacked USA Olympic team where he is not expected to lead the offense like he does with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA is a significant challenge.
- The top guard only managed three points in 22 minutes as USA won 98-92 against Australia in a warm-up match in Abu Dhabi. The Americans almost lost a 20-point lead in the final 15 minutes.
- The USA Basketball Showcase in Abu Dhabi included a game between the American team and Australia at the Etihad Arena, with Serbia also competing in the final warm-up event for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
- Anthony Davis of the Lakers provided a team-high 17 points and 14 rebounds for USA, entering the game as a substitute. Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves followed closely with 14 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
- Curry, who will be competing in the Olympics for the first time in Paris this summer, stated that the experience is a change for everyone, not just himself. We are currently changing the line-ups to experiment with various combinations and get a better understanding of them.
- “Just be aware of where your shots could come from and be prepared for them.” Before the game, head coach Steve Kerr announced his intention to experiment with various starting lineups in the exhibition games. He followed through by making changes to the starting lineup from the previous win over Canada, keeping LeBron James, Curry, and Joel Embiid but starting Edwards and Jayson Tatum instead of Jrue Holiday and Devin Booker.
- Kevin Durant is still out with a calf injury, as Davis, Booker, Holiday, Bam Adebayo, and Tyrese Haliburton acted as the backup players who rotated with the starting lineup during the game. The USA had a 20-point lead in the middle of the third quarter, but the Australians closed the gap to only six points by the fourth quarter’s five-minute mark.
- Consecutive three-pointers from Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers momentarily helped the Americans regain momentum, but the Boomers increased their defensive intensity and came dangerously close to closing the deficit. Kerr commented that the game on Monday served as a valuable caution against feeling too comfortable and emphasized that the team must continue to play aggressively even when they are ahead by a large margin.
- He believes the group, which is the most talented and accomplished representing the USA since the legendary Dream Team of 1992, has sufficient time to work out any issues before their Olympics debut against Serbia in Lille on July 28.
- Kerr specifically recognized Davis, who was also in an unusual position on Monday as a bench player. Kerr commented that he was impressive tonight and has been outstanding during the initial 10 days they have been together.
Clearly, we possess abundant talent; each individual is capable of starting and handling significant playing time.
Our team’s depth is our main asset and we must use it to our advantage by applying pressure on opponents consistently for the entire 40 minutes, regardless of the lineup. The United States will face Serbia in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for their next match. Nikola Jokic, the current NBA MVP, will lead the Serbian team. Jokic and his fellow Serbian players were seated in the stands, observing the first half of the USA-Australia match.
“They are an excellent team.” Curry mentioned that the 2023 World Cup silver medallists are currently training in our Paris pool, and we will need to defeat them when it matters in a few weeks, but it will help us prepare for the competition.
We need to be as physical as their strong, big team and play basketball like Team USA. It would be beneficial to also capture some footage of it.
Hear Curry describe the excitement of playing for the USA after their victory in the Abu Dhabi warm-up match! Stay connected with Sports Monks to get the latest news and highlights.