LeBron James drives past South Sudan center Khaman Maluach for a basket during a men’s basketball exhibition game Saturday in London. The U.S. won, 101-100. Kin Cheung/Associated Press
LeBron James saved the U.S. from what would have been a stunning loss.
James’ layup with 8 seconds left was the go-ahead basket, and the U.S. Olympic team escaped with a 101-100 win over South Sudan on Saturday in London, rallying from a 16-point deficit to avoid what would have been a massive upset.
South Sudan, the African nation that gained its independence just 13 years ago and is about to play in the Olympics for the first time, led for more than half the game and had a chance to win at the end. But Carlik Jones’ runner off the glass missed with about 4 seconds left, and two South Sudan players under the basket couldn’t control the rebound.
“I’m going to be honest: I like those better than the blowouts,” James said as he walked off the court. “At least we get tested.”
Oh, they got tested – by a team that went into the game as 43.5-point underdogs, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
“A good reminder that when we play against teams, it’s the biggest game of their lives,” U.S. Coach Steve Kerr said. “We have to expect everyone to play like that.”
The Americans dug out of a big hole with an 18-0 run in the second half – then needed heroics at the end. JT Thor’s 3-pointer with 20 seconds left gave South Sudan a 100-99 lead, then the Americans called timeout and put the ball in James’ hands.
He made it look easy: He waited, waited, waited, then drove and laid it in to put the U.S. back on top, and the Americans got the stop they needed at the end.
James finished with 23 points, six rebounds and six assists for the U.S., which improved to 4-0 on its pre-Olympic exhibition tour with one game remaining. Anthony Davis added 15 points.
Marial Shayok led all scorers with 25 points for South Sudan and Jones had a triple-double – 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
The teams will meet in group play in the Paris Olympics on July 31.
“It’s basketball. It happens,” U.S. guard Stephen Curry said. “You want to play perfect every game; it doesn’t happen. But can you dig deep and do the little things that help you win? Offense can come and go, but defense is the thing that helps you win championships, medals, all that stuff.”
It should have been a mismatch, and for the first half, it was – just not in the way anyone would have expected.
The entire U.S. roster is filled with players who have been NBA All-Stars or champions, or both, with a total of 189,038 points in their regular-season careers, and 7,832 combined starts. South Sudan has four players who have appeared in an NBA game. They’ve scored a combined 1,228 points and started 19 games.
The U.S. was up 8-0 after 2 1/2 minutes. The rest of the half: South Sudan 58, U.S. 34. The Americans allowed South Sudan to shoot 61% in the first half and got outscored 21-3 from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes.
“I did not do a great job preparing our team,” Kerr said. “We did not focus enough on what they’re capable of, and that’s on me. I think that really allowed South Sudan to gain confidence early. … They were great. They played a wonderful game and the ending was good for us, just to feel that, to feel what it’s going to be like in Paris and Lille.”
The 18-0 run helped save the day. James had four assists during the spurt and Stephen Curry, from about 35 feet, connected on a 3-pointer late in the third quarter that gave the U.S. its first lead since the first quarter at 79-76.
Wenyan Gabriel banked in a 3-pointer to get South Sudan within 85-84, but James – his former teammate with the Los Angeles Lakers – connected for a 3 on the ensuing U.S. possession, and the Americans would eventually hang on.
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