South Sudan’s No. 11 Marial Shayok (left) defends America’s No. 06 LeBron James during the men’s basketball qualifying round Group C match between the USA and South Sudan for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Villeneuve d’Ascq, northern France, on July 31, 2024. (AFP)
Lille, France – Bam Adebayo scored 18 points to lead the United States to a 103-86 victory over South Sudan on Wednesday, propelling the reigning Olympic men’s basketball champions to the quarterfinals.
The U.S. team had never lost to an African team at the Olympics, but they had a scare when they faced South Sudan in a warm-up match in London on July 20.
But there was no fear of an upset in Lille, as LeBron James led the USA, in their quest for a fifth consecutive gold medal, to a strong start in the first quarter and they never looked back after that.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum started for the U.S. as coach Steve Kerr sat on the bench throughout Sunday’s season-opening win over Serbia.
Instead, it was Joel Embiid’s turn to miss the game as Miami Heat center Adebayo was in good form, making his first six shots and 8 of 10 total.
Kevin Durant, who returned from injury against Serbia, shot solidly again and finished with 14 points, while James added 12 points.
“There are players of all ages in the league who have accomplished a lot, but they’re all unselfish players who want what’s best for their team,” Durant said.
“Every other team I’ve been on has won gold medals, so I guess we just have to keep proving how good we are, but in terms of talent and what it looks like on paper, this is probably the best team I’ve ever been on.”
Anthony Edwards, Derrick White and Devin Booker also scored in double figures, but Stephen Curry had a tough night, finishing with just three points.
The U.S. led 55-36 at halftime, and although South Sudan fought valiantly to stay in the game, the Olympic debutant couldn’t get within 10 points.
“Against a team like this, I think you have to be at your best for the entire 40 minutes,” Durant, a three-time gold medalist, added.
Nuni Omot scored a game-high 24 points for South Sudan, and Carlik Jones added 18 points for the team coached by former NBA player Royal Ivey.
The U.S. has now secured a place in the quarterfinals after winning both of its two games in Group C. Canada, Germany and host France have already qualified for the quarterfinals.
Having made their Olympic debut with a win over Puerto Rico, South Sudan remains in strong position to qualify for the knockout stages.
Earlier Wednesday, Serbia bounced back from a loss in their opening match to the United States with a commanding 107-66 win over Puerto Rico.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
The subscription was successfully completed.
Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic finished just shy of a triple-double with 14 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists.
Check out Inquirer Sports’ special coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
