Team USA lost their second consecutive exhibition Monday
On Monday in Las Vegas, the United States men’s basketball team dropped its second consecutive exhibition game, this time to Australia. Despite leading by nine points at halftime against the Aussies, Team USA went on to lose 91-83. Team USA was also upset by Nigeria 90-87 on Saturday.
Team USA has lost four of its last five games dating back to the 2019 World Cup. It has also lost two consecutive games to Australia, a squad that is expected to compete for gold in Japan. Prior to these two consecutive losses, the US had a 54-2 exhibition record dating back to 1992.
Australia was led by Patty Mills, who scored 22 points, and Joe Ingles, who scored 15. The United States was led by Damian Lillard, who had 22 points, and Kevin Durant, who had 17. The duo combined to make 10-of-20 3-pointers. This team has star power and Lillard and Durant performed admirably, but there are far too many defensive liabilities.
What does this mean for Team USA’s chances?
“I thought we got better tonight,” said Team USA coach Gregg Popovich, continuing his stance of emphasizing process over results. “After a short time together, there’s a lot of things that have to be covered.” After the loss, Popovich became enraged when a reporter inquired about Team USA’s history of winning big in exhibition games leading up to the Olympics. Though Popovich is correct in saying that not every game like this is a blowout, they have only lost four in over three decades. Even if the games aren’t important, it’s natural to wonder why they’ve lost two in a row.
In the five exhibition games leading up to the Rio games, the 2016 squad won by an average of 41.4 points. The 2012 team won their exhibition games leading up to London by 26.6 points. Even if last night was a stronger performance than the loss on Saturday, the 2021 team’s struggles are surprising given the roster’s and coaching staff’s background. Team USA might win its fourth consecutive Olympic gold in Tokyo next month. They could, on the other hand, suffer their worst humiliation since Team USA was upset by Argentina in 2004.
Written By John Galietta
Instagram: jgalietta17
Twitter: jgalietta17
