It’s the United States vs. South Sudan in the USA Basketball Showcase exhibition ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Team USA has defeated Canada (86-72 on July 10 in Las Vegas), Australia (98-92 on Monday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) and Serbia (105-79 on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi) so far in the USA Basketball Showcase.
Team USA is 37-3 all-time in pre-Olympic exhibition games.
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FINAL: Team USA 101, South Sudan 100
Team USA escaped with a 101-100 victory thanks to James, who sank the go-ahead layup with eight seconds left in regulation.
James finished with 23 points, six rebounds and six assists. Shayok recorded 25 points, three rebounds and two steals for South Sudan.
Team USA will conclude its USA Basketball Showcase with an exhibition game against Germany at 2 p.m. Monday in London.
End third quarter: Team USA 81, South Sudan 76
Team USA rolled out its second unit of Derrick White, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo to start the second half.
That change ignited the United States, which outscored South Sudan 37-18 in the third quarter and closed things out on a 16-0 run to take the lead.
Halftime: South Sudan 58, Team USA 44
Team USA had no answer for containing South Sudan, which expanded its lead to 14 points entering halftime.
