James drove left for a layup with eight seconds left, and South Sudan missed three shots on its final attempt to complete the upset. James led the U.S. with 25 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
“I prefer those games to losing by a large margin,” James said as he walked off the court. “At least we get tested. I like to be tested, baby. I like to be tested. Those games are the best.”
For the U.S., the close win exposed some issues that could plague them in their first group game against Serbia on July 28. The U.S. starting lineup, led by center Joel Embiid, continued to struggle with slow starts and poor ball movement, leading to a 16-point first-half deficit. South Sudan easily won the outside shooting contest, making 14 of 33 (42.4%) 3-pointers to the U.S.’s 7 of 28 (25%). And the U.S. stars, led by James and Stephen Curry, committed 12 turnovers, many of them inexplicable.
“When you play a team, it’s the biggest game of their life,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Everybody has to be prepared to play like that. We were definitely caught off guard as a team and as a staff. What we’ve learned at USA Basketball is that the gap has closed.”
Saturday’s exhibition was the fourth of five games for the U.S. national team before the Olympics. The U.S. won its first three games against Canada, Australia and Serbia, but the team hasn’t always worked well together as coach Kerr has experimented with starting lineups and unconventional rotations.
James never would have had a chance to be the hero if not for a dominant third quarter in which the USA overcame a 14-point halftime deficit to take the lead into the final period on their way to a 37-18 victory. Kerr opted to start five substitutes at the start of the third quarter, and the decision paid off as the team went on a 14-4 run to turn the tide.
Still, the U.S. was in pain again after nearly losing a 24-point second-half lead to Australia on Monday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Leading by seven with under two minutes to go, South Sudan’s Marial Shayok made a 3-pointer and a jump shot to cut the gap to two. JT Soh, a second-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft who played last season with the Charlotte Hornets but is now a free agent, made a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left to give South Sudan a 100-99 lead.
Late in the game, after Curry missed two jump shots and Anthony Davis missed a shot near the basket, Kerr handed the ball to James on the USA’s final possession, who immediately drove to the basket and scored a go-ahead goal as the U.S. held on for dear life in front of the basket.
“South Sudan were fantastic,” Carr said. “The team’s preparation was poor. [South Sudan was] “I don’t know if we can do it. That’s on me. South Sudan was able to gain some confidence early on. … It was a good end for us, to get a feel for what it will be like in Paris.”
Former NBA player Carlik Jones missed a pull-up jump shot, and former NBA player Wenyen Gabriel unsuccessfully attempted two put-backs before time expired.
Jones had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for South Sudan, while Shayok added 24 points, including six 3-pointers.
The U.S. men’s team will play Germany in London on Monday to finish off their exhibition schedule. After facing Serbia in their first Olympic game, the U.S. team will face South Sudan in a rematch on July 31.
