Playing on American soil for the last time before the Olympics begin, with President Obama in attendance, Team USA grinded out an 80-69 win over Brazil Monday night. America was led by 30 points from LeBron James, followed by 11 from Kevin Durant, who came off the bench for the second consecutive game as the team’s sixth man. Brazil was led by 14 points from Alex Garcia.
The U.S. trailed by ten points at the end of first quarter, after being out executed by the Brazilians in the halfcourt. But once the Americans were able use their athleticism and depth to force turnovers and get into transition (Brazil had over 20 turnovers), they seized control, using a 20-5 to take a five point lead into halftime.
But Brazil did not roll over in the second half. With four current NBA players in tow (Nene, Tiago Splitter, Anderson Varejao and Leandro Barbosa), Brazil trailed by only seven points with four minutes remaining in the game. LeBron then scored five consecutive points to put the game out of reach.
Team USA now heads to England to play Britain on Thursday.
Make sure to check out below for stats and highlights from Monday’s game.
Stats of the Game:
22: The number of points LeBron James scored in the paint Monday night. James’ ability to penetrate the Brazilian defense somewhat made up for the team’s lack of an inside scoring threat.
9/33: Shooting numbers for Team USA on field goals taken outside of the paint.
Play of the Game:
With four minutes remaining in the game, and the Americans ahead by only seven points, LeBron drained a three-pointer, giving his team a double-digit lead and putting the final dagger in the Brazilians.
Moment of the Game:
During a timeout, the staff at the Verizon Center featured President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on the arena’s “Kiss Cam.” Fans were then treated to the first kiss.
Highlight of the Game:
After the U.S. comes up with the steal, LeBron takes the outlet pass and steamrolls his way to the hoop for the flush. To see James’ dunk, check out the video below.
