Ten days ago, South Sudan almost beat Team USA in a friendly contest before the Olympic Games, but the Americans somehow came out alive with a 101-100 win. In yesterday’s rematch, the U.S. had an easier time and won their second-official game in Paris by beating the African nation by 17 points.
With this latest victory, Team USA clinched their trip to the tournament’s quarterfinals and await one final game against Puerto Rico to define who will conquer Group C to earn a more confortable draw in the next stage.
One of the most important keys of this win came from the bench, as Bam Adebayo led the squad in points with 18 to his name this Wednesday. Kevin Durant, who also didn’t start the contest, contributed with another 14 for his team, who produced a 25-4 run in the first half.
Team USA beats South Sudan 103-86 in convincing win 🔥
Bam: 16 PTS, 7-9 FG, 7 REB
KD: 14 PTS, 3 AST, 2 REB
LeBron: 12 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST2-0 in group play 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/UxpSg6xIgp
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 31, 2024
The U.S. reserves dropped in a total of 66 points throughout the match. “I just think Steve trusts us,” said the Miami big man. “I feel like he looks at the benches, that spark, to come off the bench and really give us a boost, and we did that tonight.”
“We’ve been calling ourselves the bench mob for a long time now,” shared Adebayo, who also provided 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal in yesterday’s 103-86 win. “And it doesn’t matter who’s in the lineup. We always seem to figure it out.”
Even though they are now through to the next round, Anthony Davis revealed his squad’s true ambition. “It’s not the goal,” the center expressed. “It does give us a sense of satisfaction as far as being able to play next week. But there’s a lot that we can get better at, a lot that we can clean up, and we’ll use Saturday’s game against Puerto Rico to tighten the screws again and then just see where it takes us from there.”
Now South Sudan will have to clash against Serbia this weekend, in a matchup that will decide who will remain in the competition. “We knew this wasn’t going to be an easy task,” said Carlik Jones, the American-Sudanese athlete who has played for the Bulls. “Our spirits are still positive.”
Joel Embiid was the only player in the entire roster who didn’t play a single minute against South Sudan, but will start against Puerto Rico
Just as Jayson Tatum had missed the opener against Serbia, and then was placed in the starting lineup in Wednesday’s game against South Sudan, Joel Embiid seems to have the same destiny. Once the game was over, Steve Kerr announced that both him and Jrue Holiday will start to wrap up the group stage against Puerto Rico on Saturday.
“We’ve got 12 guys who are all capable of dominating,” the head coach explained. “Every night is going to be a little different. But we like our chances with the number of great players we have on our roster. We have an embarrassment of riches on this roster, that’s the best way to put it.”
The Golden State tactician also pointed out that his players are so popular that every tiny thing that happens around the squad is magnified by the press as a huge drama, when in reality the roster is healthy and focused on bringing home the gold.
“The NBA is so popular worldwide and the regular season is kind of a soap opera, and so we understand that and social media takes over and everything becomes so dramatic,” Kerr said. “And I think we need to give these guys more credit. They’re here to win a gold medal. They’re pros. They’re committed to each other.”
