In a crucial rematch on Wednesday, July 31, Team USA’s strategic adjustments paid off, leading to a commanding 103-86 victory over South Sudan at Pierre Mauroy Stadium. The win places Team USA at the top of Group C with a 2-0 record, securing their place in the knockout rounds of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
South Sudan’s coach, Royal Ivey, anticipated a challenging game when Team USA opted for a faster, more athletic starting lineup. This change allowed the Americans to better handle South Sudan’s speed, and they quickly took control, scoring the first three baskets and maintaining their lead for the final 36 minutes and six seconds of the game.
Unlike the nail-biting friendly on June 20 in London, where LeBron James needed to deliver late-game heroics to secure a win, Team USA dominated from the start this time. The team’s depth and versatility were on full display, with coach Steve Kerr utilizing various lineups to great effect.
Jayson Tatum, who did not play against Serbia on Sunday, started this game, while the coach benched former NBA MVP Joel Embiid. Tyrese Haliburton, previously out of the rotation, made a surprising and impactful early appearance, hitting two three-pointers.
Team USA’s Defensive Strategy
Team USA’s defense played a crucial role in their victory. “This is the fastest team in the tournament we were going to play and we wanted to match up,” Kerr said about the lineup changes. “The defense was fantastic tonight. The defensive effort was the key to the whole thing.”
Bam Adebayo led Team USA with 18 points, including two three-pointers, and had a plus-22 rating. Kevin Durant added 14 points and had a plus-26 rating. The team’s performance silenced critics who had questioned their ability to handle South Sudan after the close friendly match.
“We’re not worried about expectations,” Durant said. “We’re trying to win and play a good brand of basketball and we did that in spurts. The first unit got us started. We set the tone to start the game. I think we’re playing well off of each other. People may be expecting big numbers, high numbers of wins, 30, 40 points, but we still won the last two games by an average of 20 points against good talent. Just keep building.”
Tatum, who was controversially benched on Sunday, contributed with four points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 17 minutes against South Sudan. “It’s a unique situation and it’s not about one individual player,” Tatum said. “The competitor in you wants to play, obviously. But I’m not here to make a story, making it about myself. We won. I was just glad to get back out there and play again today.”
Kerr explained the decision to bench Embiid and start Anthony Davis for defensive versatility. “The beauty of USA Basketball is we have more great players than the other countries,” Kerr said. “Every single guy is capable of going out there and taking over a game. I think we need to give these guys more credit; they’re here to win a gold medal. They’re pros, committed to each other and every game is going to be a little different. We’ve got options for everything and we’re going to use those options how we see fit.”
South Sudan’s Resilience
South Sudan showed resilience, cutting the USA lead to 12 points with seven minutes and 40 seconds left before the Americans responded with a 14-4 run, South Sudan, an Olympic newcomer, will face Serbia on Saturday night, with the winner guaranteed a spot in the knockout round.
“They came out and they were physical,” Ivey said. “I told my guys, USA is going to have their antennas up and those guys were physical and we got off to a bad start. My guys never laid down. My guys are competitors. They never flinched. They kept competing but we couldn’t close that gap.”
Despite holding stars like Steph Curry and Jayson Tatum to just three and four points respectively, South Sudan could not overcome Team USA’s depth and versatility. “They decided not to play Embiid. That was the game plan. They got Kevin Durant and lot of different guys you can go to, so it worked for them,” Ivey noted.
Team USA’s victory against South Sudan not only demonstrated their depth and strategic adaptability but also solidified their status as a formidable contender for the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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