NBA players of the USA men’s basketball team geared up for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, undergoing training and exhibition games.
The USA team faced off Australian Boomers for the second match of the exhibition game being held in Las Vegas.
After losing the first match against Nigeria’s basketball team, the USA team aimed to get a win over the Australian Boomers.
However, the USA team failed once again much to everyone’s surprise.
Team Australia beats Team USA 91-83 in Las Vegas, upsetting NBA all-stars and giving second loss back-to-back.
For the win, Patty Mills led the team Australia followed by Joe Ingles and Matisse Thybulle.
While Damian Lillard led the team USA followed by Kevin Durant.
Team USA started strong but failed to maintain the momentum and ultimately lost to the team Australia.
The first quarter goes to Team USA.
Patty Mills started the first quarter, dropping a layup for team Australia. Damian quickly answered back, knocking down a three-pointer on the other end.
Bradley Beal came up with a layup, adding another bucket for team USA.
Joe Ingles knocked down a three-pointer, tying the game at 5-5. He subsequently added another three-pointer, giving the lead to team Australia.
Kevin Durant dropped a jumper while Matthew Dellavedova came up with a block on Damian Lillard on the next team USA’s possession.
And Ingles knocked down a three-pointer on Dellavedova’s pass in transition.
Eventually, Mills knocked down a three-pointer, adding another bucket for the team Australia.
Lillard answered back, knocking down a three-pointer on the other side.
They were 12-13 with 4:37 remaining in the quarter as Jock Landale dropped a layup.
Subsequently, Jeremy Grant came up with a three-pointer on the other end. And with that shot, Team USA tied the game.
Bam Adebayo added another bucket, banking in a jumper on the next possession.
Mills answered back with a layup and tied the game again.
Going head to head the team USA finally breaks through knocking down buckets back-to-back.
Hence, team USA takes a 7-point lead with under two minutes left to play in the first quarter.
Kelvin Johnson knocked down a three-pointer and Christopher Goulding answered back, knocking down a three-pointer.
Eventually, the quarter ends 27-24 with Team USA in the lead.
Team USA dominates in the second quarter.
They were 29-24 about three minutes into the quarter as Patty Mills come up with a layup despite Darius Garland guarding him.
Subsequently, Kelvin Johnson came up with a jumper and Mills drove to the rim for lay but missed the shot then Duop Reath tipped off the miss, scoring the bucket.
🇦🇺 #Australia 91 – 🇺🇸 #USA 83 | Final
Patty Mills 22p/4a, 9/21 FG
Joe Ingles 17p
Matisse Thybulle 12p🇺🇸 #USA drops second straight game.😲🤯#USABMNT #Tokyo2020 #NBATwitter #USAvsAUS pic.twitter.com/jDl72WdRp9
— BasketballBuzz.ca 🇨🇦🏀🍁 (@basketballbuzz) July 13, 2021
Bradley Beal then came up with a dunk on the other end. Jayson Tatum added a bucket, dropping a layup on the next possession.
Thybulle knocked down a three-pointer, cutting the lead to four points.
Eventually, Durant knocked down a fadeaway jumper over Thybulle, extending the lead to 8 points with about two minutes left to play in the quarter.
They were 43-35 with about 36 seconds remaining in the quarter as Lillard knocked down a three-pointer.
Mills then dropped a long fadeaway jumper over Draymond Green in the final seconds of the quarter.
Hence, the quarter ended 46-37 with team USA taking 10 point lead.
Team Australia make a comeback in the third quarter.
Jock Landale started the third quarter, knocking down a hook shot on Thybulle’s pass.
Durant answered back, dropping a three-pointer from corner of the court.
Thybulle came up with a steal and knocked down a dunk in transition. Ingles added a layup on the next possession.
Durant knocked down a three-pointer and team USA 7-point ahead about halfway into the quarter.
Thybulle subsequently knocked down a three-pointer and Lillard answered back, knocking down a three-pointer on the other end.
Lillard added another three-pointer on the next possession.Mills found Thybulle under the rim for a dunk on the other end.
Christopher knocked down a three-pointer, cutting the lead to three-point.
Subsequently, Jayson Tatum made a layup beating the shot clock buzzer.
Reath knocked down a three-pointer and tied the game about two minutes left to play in the quarter.
Tatum dropped a jumper. But the game tied once again at 64-64 as Goulding knocked down a step-back jumper.
Goulding added another bucket, knocking down a three-pointer at the buzzer.
🇦🇺 #Australia 69 – 🇺🇸 #USA 64 End 3Q.
Chris Goulding (11pts) beats the buzzer!#USABMNT #Tokyo2020 #NBATwitter #USAvsAUS pic.twitter.com/ALpMZppY4H
— BasketballBuzz.ca 🇨🇦🏀🍁 (@basketballbuzz) July 13, 2021
Hence, the quarter ended 69-64 with team Australia finally takin the lead.
Team Australia stuns team USA.
Ingles found Reath under the rim for a floater, extending team Australia’s lead.
Beal came up with a jumper on the other end. Subsequently, he added another bucket, dropping a reverse layup on the next possession.
Zach Lavine knocked down a three-pointer, cutting the lead to 2-point.
Thybulled blocked Durant’s shot. Durant then knocked down a three-pointer on Green’s pass on the other end.
Mills answered, knocking down a three-pointer halfway into the quarter.
Durant also answered right back with a bucket from behind the three-point line. Eventually the game tied at 80-80 with 4:44 remaining in the quarter.
Draymond came up with a block and Tatum came up with a layup in transition, giving team USA the lead.
TATUM FOR THE LEAD‼️
📺 NBCSN
💻 https://t.co/fcUSsaVvGe pic.twitter.com/piNow16uaA— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 13, 2021
The game tied again but eventually, Mills came up with a layup and took the lead over team USA.
Thybulled knocked down a dunk on Mill’s pass. Mills added a bucket, dropping a layup on the next possession.
Draymond came up with another block on Mills’s shot. Despite many attempts for bucket from team USA, they couldn’t get the shot right.
Dellavedova punched the ball to Ingles for a dunk in the final seconds of the game.
Hence, team USA ended up with another loss.
“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.”
Scoring highlights.
The San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills led the way in Australia’s 91-83 win, scoring 22 points and four assists.
The Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles contributed 17 points.
“We walked into this game expecting to win,” said Joe Ingles of the Utah Jazz. “No disrespect to them, they’re a hell of a team, obviously the guys they’ve got on their roster and Pop standing up there is always nice to see, but we came in here expecting to win the game and that’s what we did.”
And the Philadelphia 76ers guard Matisse Thybulle made 12 points, three assists, three steals, two rebounds and two blocks.
On the other hand, NBA All-Stars Damian Lillard and Kevin Durant combined for 39.
With Portland Trail Blazers star Lillard leading the team USA, scoring 22 points.
“These teams are experienced and they’ve spent a lot of time together,” Lillard said. “We are still working at becoming a team.”
“Some guys have to get their legs and rhythm back,” Popovich said. “We’re sticking with the process.”
“It is different . Now you go out there and the whole starting five are NBA players that are in the rotation,” Lillard said. “This also isn’t the first time I’ve seen Team USA be tested.”
While the Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant contributed 17 points.
And the Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal finished with 12 points.
