The USA Showcase wrapped up for the USA Men’s National Team tonight with a 92-88 win over Germany. The U.S., who finished with a 5-0 exhibition record, now move to France for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The U.S. Men’s National Team hold a 39-3 record in exhibition games leading into Olympic competition.
Fan for All: The USA continued their trend of playing in front of sold-out crowds in London. Tonight’s attendance marked 19,177 for a fifth straight USA Basketball Showcase sellout. The crowd tonight was also the largest in The O2 basketball history. The USA set venue attendance records in both Abu Dhabi (Etihad Arena) and Las Vegas (T-Mobile Arena).
Showcase Stats: The USA move to 69-4 in men’s senior exhibitions. The USA owns an all-time 4-1 senior national record vs. Germany. The most recent meeting between the two nations was a 111-113 loss for the U.S. in the semifinals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Starting Out: Coach Steve Kerr went to the starting lineup of Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, LeBron James and Joel Embiid, the same 5 who opened the Canada and South Sudan games. Curry, James and Embiid have started all five games. The starters contributed 61 of the team’s 92 points against Germany.
Trading Posts: The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth effort, as the U.S. and Germany tied four times and traded the lead three times. The teams were tied for a total of 2:51 in the final frame and neither team led by more than 5 points. The U.S. took its final lead on a James dunk with 3:57 left to play.
Board Game: The U.S. were strong on the glass tonight and collected 52 rebounds to Germany’s 46. Tonight saw the highest rebound total for the Americans throughout the 2024 USA Basketball Showcase.
Closing Time: James put together another stellar performance and came up in the clutch once again. James finished with a game-high 20 points (8-11 FG, 2-2 3FG, 2-4 FT) accompanied with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 19 minutes. Tonight was his second-straight game leading the team in scoring.
The USA have looked to James to close out games. He carried the USA over Germany with the team’s final 11 points. In the final 4 minutes in each of the last two games, James scored 13 of the team’s 17 points across that span.
You Go, Jo: Embiid ended his five tune-up games with his best and most complete performance. He tallied 15 points, 8 rebounds, a team-high 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 21 minutes. His output in scoring and assists are personal bests, while his rebounding total tied his game high (8 vs. Serbia, 7/17/24) though the Showcase.
It’s a 10: The U.S. had 6 players log at least 10 points apiece. In addition to James (20) and Embiid (15), Curry (13), Edwards (11), Davis (10) and Holiday (10) Edwards finished in double figures.
Source/Image Credit: USA Basketball
