Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James drives to the basket against South Sudan.
London, England CNN —
The US men’s basketball team fought back from a double-digit deficit to edge past South Sudan 101-100 in a dramatic pre-Olympic friendly in London, England on Saturday.
Despite its star power, Team USA has occasionally flattered to deceive recently and has looked unconvincing at times in victory. A late bucket from LeBron James spared the team’s blushes in the final seconds, with head coach Steve Kerr taking responsibility for his team’s complacency.
“South Sudan was amazing, Royal (Ivey) and his staff did a great job of preparing his team for the game, I did not do a great job of preparing our team for the game,” he said postgame.
“The whole team was embarrassed at halftime, to be down 14 and outplayed.”
Ivey, South Sudan head coach, said that there were “no moral victories” after his team came within seconds of a historic upset but praised his squad’s resilience.
“Every possession we battle, every possession we’re on the floor, every possession we competed … we want to take this comradery and togetherness into our first game.
Staying together no matter what.”
Marial Shayok shoots during the matchup.
After playing warmup games in Las Vegas and the United Arab Emirates, the USA Basketball Showcase arrived in the British capital as the team continued its preparations ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, is preparing to make its Olympic debut and defeated Great Britain in a friendly game on Thursday. Former NBA All-Star Luol Deng serves as the federation’s president and as an assistant coach.
The matchup also served as a preview for the Games, with the teams scheduled to meet in a Group C clash in Paris.
Fans packed out the O2 Arena and created a sea of color in the stands by wearing NBA jerseys of various teams, a phenomenon frequently seen in the NFL’s international games.
The London crowd was raucous and was sent into a frenzy by a LeBron James dunk on the first scoring play of the game, followed by another thunderous slam two minutes later as the US jumped out to an early 10-2 lead.
South Sudan fought its way back into the game, catching fire from three-point range in the first quarter to grab the lead.
Fueled by scoring from Carlik Jones and Marial Shayok, the advantage quickly ballooned to 14 points in the second as a reeling US side struggled to get anything going offensively and failed to deal with South Sudan’s offensive efficiency. The Bright Stars played at a lightning pace, shot a scorching 61.1% in the first half and made seven triples to the USA’ one.
It was a sloppy first half for the US that was characterized by turnovers and periods of scoring sluggishness.
Kerr’s squad began to turn the tide in the second half, getting better looks from behind the three-point line as the likes of James, Steph Curry and Anthony Edwards began to make their superstar presence known.
South Sudan’s run-and-gun approach seemed to run out of steam late in the third quarter as its shooting stagnated, with Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis helping to stem the flow with effective defense. It eventually ceded the lead inside the final minute of the period after a deep Curry three.
Curry looks to pass the ball while closely guarded.
“They scored 37 points in the third quarter and we couldn’t stop the bleeding,” said Ivey.
Taking an 81-76 lead into the final period, it appeared as though the USA may run away with things, though Ivey’s side pushed the star-studded group all the way to the buzzer.
Back-to-back triples gave South Sudan a 100-99 lead going into the closing stages, but a tough layup by James pushed the USA ahead by one with eight seconds remaining.
There was controversy on the final play, as South Sudan argued that Wenyen Gabriel was fouled as he went up to the basket but there was no call from the officials.
Ivey said that he believed there was contact but was keen for his team to move on.
“Can’t blame it on the zebras. You play the game and at the end of the day you live with the results. No complaining here,” he said.
James, who led the USA in scoring with 25 points, was full of praise for his opponents.
“Don’t take nothing away from South Sudan,” he said. “They played extremely good basketball and that’s why the game is won in between the lines and not all on paper.”
Shayok posted 24 for the Bright Stars while Jones also recorded a triple-double in an impressive performance.
With Games in Paris only a handful of days away, Saturday’s win provided a boost for the USA as it prepares to take on Serbia next Sunday, while South Sudan can take confidence into its opening Olympic game against Puerto Rico.
