Team USA didn’t want history to repeat itself as they battled South Sudan in their second Olympic game. Both teams won their first game to top Group C in this preliminary round. South Sudan played well defensively, however, the US team took advantage of the opposing team’s defense to clinch a massive victory. The game ended 103-86 with USA leading Group C with two wins. What were some takeaways from the game?
Team USA Lays a Strong Foundation
Team USA started the game with haste as within 30 seconds of the first quarter LeBron James made a layup to begin the US team’s dominant run. The first quarter was more dramatic as South Sudan maintained their offensive pace with the US team. Five minutes into the first quarter of the game South Sudan equalized, yet, they couldn’t maintain the lead due to multiple fouls on Kevin Durant that converted into crucial points for the US team. To end the first quarter in style, Derrick White made a splash from way downtown increasing his team’s lead to 10 points. However, the first quarter ended with Team USA taking the lead 26-14.
The US team and South Sudan displayed a good defensive performance in the first quarter as both teams had more than five steals in the first quarter. Therefore the difference between these teams was their offensive performance. South Sudan missed many shots from downtown which could have had a massive impact on Sudan’s bottom line. On the other hand, the US team shot 56.3% from the field making over 40% of their shots from downtown.
Bam Adebayo Elevates Team USA
Bam Adebayo came off the bench on fire in the first half to clinch a strong performance which started with an assist and jumper in the first quarter. The Miami Heat player was active on both sides of the court which helped extend Team USA’s lead against South Sudan.
At the defensive end of the court, Adebayo got one block and a steal with two defensive rebounds which deterred the Sudan team from getting more points from their offense. Also, on the offensive side of the court, Team USA’s center has 14 points and his 3-and-D performance made him a top performer in the first half. Further, what made Adebayo’s performance stand out was his shooting efficiency from the field. Bam made all his field goal attempts and went 2-of-2 from deep.
South Sudan Had a Chance
The first half ended with a massive lead from Team USA as they got 55 points in the first half while South Sudan scored 36. In the first half, South Sudan tried to match the US team’s 3-and-D performance, however, Sudan made 33.3% of three-pointers and 36.3% of field goals made. Thus the Sudan team failed to match the opposing team offensively. Now, South Sudan started the third quarter on a strong note as Team USA fell a bit in performance as LeBron James wasn’t active in the second half of this game.
The first half finished with a 19-point lead by Team USA. Two minutes into the fourth quarter, Calik Jones made a layup that ended up as a three-point play putting South Sudan 11 points closer to the lead, 77-66. Hope loomed for the Sudan team after this performance, however, South Sudan didn’t bank on this advantage as the team made defensive errors that caused turnovers. Thus, South Sudan’s offensive effort helped them win the third quarter 21-18. Team USA won the fourth quarter 30-29.
Stephen Curry Struggles As The Bench Shines
Stephen Curry was quiet through the game as he made 1-0f-9 shots from the field and went 0-of-6 from deep. The US team could still display a top-notch 3-and-D performance thanks to his teammate Tyrese Haliburton coming off the bench. In his eight minutes, he made an impact with two three points and an assist to maximize his team’s lead. Jayson Tatum started the game but didn’t make much of an impact as he finished with four points, five rebounds, and two assists.
The bench shined after the game as four of six players scored in double figures. The top performer off the bench was Bam Adebayo. Adebayo scored 18 points, with seven rebounds, two blocks, a steal, and an assist. The team’s center made 8-of-10 field goals and 2-of-3 three-pointers. Kevin Durant followed Adebayo as the second top performer to get 14 points, three assists, three steals, and two rebounds.
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