Led by a balanced scoring attack, USA Basketball stamped its ticket to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympic Games with a victory over South Sudan on Wednesday in Lille, France.
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo produced a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant scored 14 points and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards had 13 points in the 103-86 victory to improve to 2-0 and stay atop Group C.
After beating South Sudan by one point in an exhibition game on July 20, the United States was in control for the entirety of the contest, leading by as many as 22 points. The team, which shot 52.9% from the field, scored 26 points off 19 turnovers and held a 66-14 advantage in bench points.
Consistency is King. 👑
LeBron joins the 🇺🇸 #USABMNT 300-point club & helps secure the dub in Lille!#Paris2024 #Basketball pic.twitter.com/KyAKjB28Fy
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 31, 2024
With Adebayo, Durant and Edwards leading the way, the U.S. also got strong contributions from Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James scored (12 points), Suns guard Devin Booker (10 points, six assists) and Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (10 points).
Nuni Omot paced South Sudan with a game-high 24 points, while Carlik Jones scored 18 points and Bul Kuol added 16 points. The team dropped to 1-1 with one game left to play in the group phase on Saturday against Serbia. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals.
After clinching Group C, the Americans will wrap up the preliminary round on Saturday against Puerto Rico, who is 0-2. They open as 31.5-point favorites in that contest.
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