Workforce USA escaped O2 Area in London with a 101-100 win over South Sudan in an exhibition recreation on Saturday. LeBron James made what turned out to be the game-winning layup with eight seconds left and completed with a team-high 23 factors on 9-for-13 capturing, six rebounds and 7 assists in 23 minutes.
This is the game-winner:
South Sudan led by 14 factors at halftime, took a one-point lead late within the fourth quarter and had an opportunity to win on the ultimate possession. In the previous few seconds, Carlik Jones missed a floater, Wenyen Gabriel missed an tried putback and Anthony Edwards stripped the ball from Gabriel, permitting america to carry on.
Jones, the 2023 NBA G League MVP, had a 15-point, 11-assist, 11-rebound triple-double for South Sudan. Marial Shayok scored a game-high 25 factors on 9-for-16 capturing, together with 6-for-12 from deep.
America (barely) overcame an enormous disparity past the arc. South Sudan made 14 of their 33 3-point makes an attempt (42.4%), whereas Workforce USA went 7-for-28 (25%) and missed 12 of their first 15 makes an attempt.
Subsequent up for Workforce USA: One other exhibition recreation in London. They are going to play Germany on Monday at 3 p.m. ET.
What went fallacious for Workforce USA?
After beginning the sport on a 12-2 run, america’ lead evaporated in three minutes. South Sudan’s size and athleticism gave Workforce USA issues, however the larger subject was shot-making. Gabriel made back-to-back 3s about midway via the primary quarter, and after that, it appeared like all of his teammates had the new hand. Workforce USA, in the meantime, bricked tons of open jumpers, particularly when the second unit got here in.
A number of the United States’ wounds have been self-inflicted. Early within the second quarter, Nuni Omot, the 2023 Basketball Africa League MVP, walked right into a follow shot from the highest of the important thing as a result of Edwards wasn’t prepared to change:
There may be nothing that Workforce USA can do, nonetheless, about Shayok hitting a circus shot like this in isolation:
This, like america’ six-point victory in opposition to Australia final week, needs to be a lesson for Workforce USA. Even with out Bol Bol, who pulled out for private causes, South Sudan has a roster filled with professionals, who rightfully, see this type of recreation as a possibility to indicate what they’ll do. Any considered one of them can catch fireplace, and, if Workforce USA is not flattening their 3s, they’re susceptible, regardless of all of their large names and All-Star appearances.
I doubt Steve Kerr and his teaching workers are livid with James about the best way he defended JT Thor on the possession earlier than the game-winner. Thor gave South Sudan the lead by hitting a tricky, contested stepback 3.
Ideally, although, Workforce USA wouldn’t have been in a one-possession recreation at that time. And perhaps they should not have been. The officers may need missed a foul name on the earlier possession, on which Derrick White tried to attach with Anthony Davis on an alley-oop, and, simply earlier than that, Stephen Curry missed a wide-open 3 that will have put america up by seven factors.
If I have been Kerr, I’d be a bit bothered by Edwards and Jayson Tatum capturing a mixed 1-for-10 from deep, however I’d solely query a couple of of these shot makes an attempt. Offensively, the actual tough stuff got here within the type of turnovers; James had 4 of them, Joel Embiid had three (together with a few horrible passes out of double groups) and these miscues allowed South Sudan to get out in transition.
On the brilliant aspect, america really received the turnover battle on this recreation (15-12). Workforce USA, as traditional, was at their finest when their protection led to offense. Typically talking, although, their transition protection has to enhance.
Khaman Maluach is 7-foot-2 and has 3-point vary, and he is headed to Duke subsequent season. He was spectacular on Saturday. However there is no excuse for him getting a transition dunk as simple as that.
A brand new wrinkle within the rotation
Like he did in opposition to Australia, Kerr elected to place the second unit on the ground at first of the third quarter. This time, although, there was a twist: As a substitute of Tyrese Haliburton operating level, White obtained his first run with the nationwide workforce. White did not rating in his 11 minutes (and solely tried one shot), however I preferred what I noticed from him. Workforce USA obtained a bunch of excellent stuff out of his pick-and-rolls with Davis, and he racked up 5 assists briefly order.
White is not the identical sort of offensive weapon as Haliburton, however he seemed snug instantly, improved Workforce USA’s perimeter protection and by no means obtained in the best way. I would be curious to see what lineups with each Haliburton and White seem like, nevertheless it’s unclear if Kerr will even experiment with them. There are solely so many minutes to go round, and Kevin Durant hasn’t even performed a recreation but.
Embiid … encouraging?
Offered you can look previous these troubling turnovers, this was an encouraging efficiency from Embiid, whose continued presence within the beginning lineup has been the topic of a lot debate since this sequence of exhibition video games started. In 18 minutes, the large man scored 14 factors on 5-for-6 capturing, including seven rebounds and two assists. Nobody on South Sudan’s roster may guard him with out fouling, so that they rapidly resorted to sending double-teams his approach. For a second within the second quarter, when Workforce USA could not get something occurring offense, enjoying via Embiid appeared like their finest guess.
My favourite Embiid play, although, passed off lower than a minute into the sport. Have a look at this give-and-go with James:
Embiid remains to be determining the place he matches offensively, and Workforce USA remains to be attempting to determine the way to contain him with out sacrificing their ball motion. It is not pure but, nevertheless it’s coming alongside.
