The most anticipated basketball Olympic game is here. Team USA and South Sudan will battle each other again in the Group C preliminary round of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Also, both teams won their debut Olympic games in style. Team USA played against Serbia, clinching a massive win of 26 points. The US team dominated all quarters of the game with good offensive and defensive pressure on the opposing team. Finally, they finished 62.3% from the field and 56.3% in three-pointers in their debut Olympic match.
South Sudan faced Team USA in a pre-Olympic exhibit and gave them trouble in the offensive part of the game. Thus, we should expect the same energy from South Sudan. The Sudan team finished with 42.3% in field goals with 34.5% in three-pointers. Though these shooting percentages are less than the US team’s, South Sudan could surprise basketball fans in this matchup with a top-notch defense system to deter the US offense. What should we expect from these teams?
USA vs. South Sudan Game Details
Fixture: Team USA @ Team South Sudan
Date and Time: July 31 @ 3:00 pm ET
Group: Group C
Streaming: Peacock
TV: USA
USA vs. South Sudan Team Review
Team USA
The highlight of the US team’s last match was Kevin Durant when he came off the bench in the second quarter for 17 minutes to bag 23 points and two rebounds. From the field, the two-time MVP made eight of nine field goal attempts with 5-of-5 three-pointers. Now that Kevin Durant is healthy, South Sudan will have a big offensive problem to solve.
LeBron James was in his bag throughout the match as he got 21 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds with a steal. The NBA Champ made 9-of-13 field goals with one three-point made. Jrue Holiday displayed a stellar 3-and-D performance throughout the game, making 15 points, three assists, four rebounds, and two steals, going 6-of-8 in the field with 3-of-5 from downtown. Team USA should play a better offense now that Kevin Durant is healthy. Also, the US team should improve its defense from the last USA vs. South Sudan meeting.
Team South Sudan
South Sudan’s match against Puerto Rico was quite competitive, as the former team started the game slow. Carlik Jones was the team’s top performer, as he got 19 points, six assists, and seven defensive rebounds. In the field, he made 46.7% of his attempts (7-of-15) and 4-of-4 attempts from the charity stripe. Jones’ playmaking skills and activeness on the defensive court should make the game against Team USA more tense.
Marial Shayok played a good offensive game, as he was the second-best performer on the team. Shayok got 15 points, three rebounds, a steal, and an assist, shooting 50% in field goals and 4-of-4 attempts from the foul line. Also, Bul Kuol had a holistic game after displaying a good 3-and-D performance against Puerto Rico. Kuol got 12 points, three rebounds, two steals, and a block. With this performance, Kuol could be a good match-up with Jrue Holiday. In the field, he shot eight attempts and made five of these attempts with 2-of-3 from downtown.
Possible Breakout Players of the Game
Team USA
Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid were both quiet in Team USA’s debut game. Stephen Curry made 4-of-8 in the field with 3-of-7 three-point attempts. Therefore, he could break out in this second game. Joel Embiid got four points, two rebounds, and one block in 11 minutes of display. Embiid claims that it takes one or two games to get him going and therefore should improve his performance from the last match. Jayson Tatum did not play in the USA’s Olympic debut match; thus, he is expected to play against South Sudan, which should be interesting to watch.
Team South Sudan
Peter Jok came off the bench for 22 minutes to get 11 points and six rebounds. What made his performance unique was his shooting efficiency from downtown. Jok made three out of four three-point attempts in 4-of-6 field goals. His shooting efficiency should improve in this second game.
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