USA Men's National Team Defeat South Sudan, Take Fourth Showcase Win

20 July 2024

USA 101, South Sudan 100

View the USA-South Sudan box score here.

The USA Showcase moved to London and saw the USA take another win, this time over South Sudan at The O2. The game was tightly contested throughout, but in the end the Americans reached the century mark for the second-straight game and took a 1 point win 101-100.

The U.S. Men’s National Team now hold a 38-3 record in exhibition games leading into Olympic competition.

The O2 and You: The USA continued their trend of playing in front of sold-out crowds tonight in London. Tonight’s attendance marked 17,343 fans for a fourth straight USA Basketball Showcase sellout. The USA set venue attendance records for their previous three games – two in Abu Dhabi and one in Las Vegas.

Showcase Stats: The USA move to 68-4 in men’s senior exhibitions. Tonight’s was the first ever meeting between the USA and South Sudan. The nations will tip off July 31 to in the USA’s second Group C game in Paris.

Starting Out: Coach Steve Kerr returned to a previously used starting lineup for the first time, recycling the starting 5 who took the floor vs. Canada in Las Vegas: Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, LeBron James and Joel Embiid. Curry, James and Embiid have started all four games.

Give Me a Minute: South Sudan led 76-65 with 3:02 to play in the 3rd quarter. From there, the United States went on a 16-0 run fueled by defense that turned to offense to lead 81-76 at the end of the period. In that span, Curry had 6 points, James 3, Booker 3 and Holiday and Embiid 2 apiece. The team made a trio of 3s in that time after having hit just 3 the rest of the game.

The U.S. led 99-92 at the 2:54 mark of the fourth quarter before South Sudan took back the lead (99-100) with 20 seconds left on the back of a 8-0 run. James, however, would put the USA back on top with a tough lay in with 8 seconds left to play. One final stop from the Americans carried the team over the finish line to a 101-100 victory.

Among Royalty: James had his best offensive outing of the USA Basketball Showcase, consistently hitting shots, using his energy to fuel his team’s run and ultimately hitting the game-winning bucket. For the game, James totaled 23 points (9-13 FG, 2-3 3FG, 3-4 FT), 6 rebounds and 6 assists in 23 minutes.

Exhibit AD: Anthony Davis continued stuffing his Showcase stat sheet tonight with 15 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. Tonight was his third double-double of the USA Basketball Showcase. He has led the team in blocks in every game thus far and owns 14 through four games.

It’s a 10: After finding their offensive flow, the USA saw 5 players register at least 10 points apiece. In addition to James (23) and Davis (15), Embiid (14), Curry (12) and Edwards finished in double figures.