Law Murray, NBA beat writer for The Athletic, explains why the second unit for Team USA men’s basketball will overwhelm teams more than the starting lineup as they chase gold in Paris 2024.
Team USA men's basketball is knockout-stage bound.
With a 103-86 win over South Sudan in its second group game Wednesday, Team USA secured a berth to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympics.
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It was all U.S. from start to finish in the dominant performance, which came off the heels of another rout against Serbia in its Paris opener.
LeBron James came out to a strong individual start in the first quarter, with Jayson Tatum being handed a start after not playing at all versus Serbia.
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But while Tatum failed to make an impact, the U.S. received a significant lift from its bench with Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo, Phoenix Suns' Kevin Durant and Boston Celtics' Derrick White all chipping in.
Adebayo led Team USA in scoring with 18 points on 8 of 10 shooting, including 2 of 3 triples. He added seven rebounds, two blocks, one assist and a steal.
Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards also hit 10 points off the bench thanks to a quick five-point spree in the final seconds. Devin Booker, a starter, rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12.
Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, though, struggled mightily, going 1 of 9 overall and 0 of 6 from deep for three total points.
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was the only U.S. player that didn't feature in the game after starting against Serbia.
South Sudan had four double-digit scorers and kept a tight rotation, with Nuni Omot's 24 points pioneering the team. South Sudan also shot 10 of 27 (37%) from deep, but the U.S. played better in both paints to extract the win.
South Sudan will next meet Serbia in a pivotal game for knockout qualifications, while the U.S. will play Puerto Rico, which has lost both group games.
