USA vs South Sudan: LeBron James helps US avoid upset in Olympics warm-up

LeBron James saved the U.S. from what would have been a surprising loss.

James’ layup with 8 seconds left was the go-ahead basket Saturday, and the U.S. Olympic staff that’ll quickly head to the Paris Video games escaped with a 101-100 win over South Sudan in London, rallying from a 16-point deficit to keep away from maybe the largest upset in this system’s historical past.

South Sudan, the African nation that gained its independence simply 13 years in the past and is about to play within the Olympics for the primary time, led for greater than half the sport and had an opportunity to win on the finish. However Carlik Jones’ runner off the glass missed with about 4 seconds left, and the Individuals survived.

“I’m going to be trustworthy: I like these higher than the blowouts,” James mentioned as he walked off the courtroom. “At the very least we get examined.”

Oh, they obtained examined — by a staff that got here into the sport as 43.5-point underdogs , in accordance with BetMGM Sportsbook.

“A great reminder that after we play towards groups, it’s the largest sport of their lives,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr mentioned. “We’ve to anticipate everybody to play like that.”

Down by 16 at one level, the Individuals dug out of that gap with an 18-0 run within the second half — then wanted heroics on the finish anyway. JT Thor’s 3-pointer with 20 seconds left gave South Sudan a 100-99 lead, then the Individuals known as timeout and put the ball in James’ fingers.

He made it look simple: He waited, waited, waited, then drove and laid it in with ease to place the U.S. again on prime, and the Individuals obtained the cease they wanted on the finish.

James completed with a game-high 25 factors, six rebounds and 7 assists for the U.S., which improved to 4-0 with one sport left — Monday vs. World Cup champion Germany — on its pre-Olympic exhibition tour. Anthony Davis added 15 factors and 11 rebounds for the Individuals.

Marial Shayok had 24 factors for South Sudan and Jones had a triple-double — 15 factors, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

The groups will meet in group play within the Paris Olympics on July 31.

“It’s basketball. It occurs,” U.S. guard Stephen Curry mentioned. “You need to play excellent each sport; it doesn’t occur. However are you able to dig deep and do the little issues that assist you to win? Offense can come and go, however protection is the factor that helps you win championships, medals, all that stuff.”

It ought to have been a mismatch, and for the primary half, it was — simply not in the best way anybody would have anticipated.

The U.S. roster has 12 gamers, all of them All-Stars or NBA champions or each, with a complete of 189,038 factors of their regular-season careers, with 7,832 mixed begins. South Sudan has 4 gamers who’ve appeared in an NBA sport. They’ve scored a mixed 1,228 factors and began 19 video games.

Didn’t matter. It was 8-0 U.S. after 2 1/2 minutes. The remainder of the half: South Sudan 58, U.S. 34. The Individuals allowed South Sudan to shoot 61% within the first half and obtained outscored 21-3 from 3-point vary within the first 20 minutes.

“I didn’t do an ideal job getting ready our staff,” Kerr mentioned. “We didn’t focus sufficient on what they’re able to, and that’s on me. I believe that basically allowed South Sudan to realize confidence early. … They had been nice. They performed a beautiful sport and the ending was good for us, simply to really feel that, to really feel what it’s going to be like in Paris and Lille.”

An 18-0 run within the second half — James concerned in most of it — was what actually saved the U.S., turning a 76-65 deficit into an 83-76 lead.

South Sudan led by 16 late within the first half — 58-42 — earlier than the Individuals obtained the final basket to chop the deficit to 14 on the break.

However the 18-0 run was key. James had 4 assists through the spurt and Curry, from about 35 ft, linked on a 3-pointer late within the third that gave the U.S. its first lead for the reason that first quarter at 79-76.

Wenyen Gabriel banked in a 3-pointer to get South Sudan inside 85-84, however James — his former teammate with the Los Angeles Lakers — linked on a 3 on the following U.S. possession, and the Individuals would finally pull by means of by the slimmest of margins.

“In the present day we had been capable of signify our nation with pleasure and we put up a very good struggle and confirmed the potential of our nation,” Gabriel mentioned. “I believe it was a proud second for lots of people.”

Davis mentioned the staff obtained to the sector late, thrown off by standstill London visitors, and that routines going into the sport had been disrupted. Perhaps so, however South Sudan confirmed the U.S. that no person on the Olympics will concede something to the four-time defending gold medalists.

“Doesn’t matter in relation to how shut the sport is,” James mentioned. “We went on the market to get higher.”

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AP Summer time Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games