TEAM USA Basketball Men’s National Team defeated Canada 86-72 at the USA Basketball Showcase in T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday night in Las Vegas. The USA’s star-studded squad – bound for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 – took the floor for the first time competitively, putting on a show for a record-breaking basketball crowd of 20,757.
The festivities marked the first of five exhibitions the Americans will play before the Games begin July 26. Australia, Serbia, South Sudan and Germany each await the United States on July 15, 17, 20 and 22, respectively.
“Good first game for us, really just getting started after four days of practice,” said head coach Steve Kerr. “You could see the rust from the offensive end, a lot of turnovers in that first half especially, but I love the defensive intensity and the work on the glass. So it was a good first effort.”
Canada rolled out to an 11-1 lead in the early stages of the first quarter, with the United States trying to get the 3 going but missing their first four attempts from deep. Stephen Curry ripped the lid off the basket with a 3-pointer after a fake sent defending RJ Barrett flying.
And as starters eventually gave way to the bench, the offensive tide turned. Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum and Bam Adebayo turned in successful drives to the rim, punctuated by a dunk from Adebayo to cut the Canada lead to 14-10. It evolved into a 14-2 second quarter run, putting the U.S. out in front for good.
