grapplegraphics.com USA wins big against Puerto Rico in exhibition.
Head coach Steve Kerr’s USA men’s national basketball team defeated Puerto Rico 117-74 in an exhibition game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Monday 카지노사이트(8 August).
The U.S. made a number of changes to its lineup, with the majority of the squad being new faces. Gone are Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker, and Jayson Tatum, who were part of the gold medal winning team in Tokyo, and in are Anthony Edwards, Mikal Bridges, Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brunson, Tyreese Halliburton, and Austin Reeves.
The first half was a bit of a disappointment for the USA, but they came out firing in the third quarter and overwhelmed Puerto Rico. Anthony Edwards (15 points, 4 steals) shined the brightest. Setting the tone for the USA’s offence in the third quarter, Edwards used his athleticism to make some cool dunks and blocks.
Edwards wasn’t the only USA player to score in double figures, as Mychal Bridges (14 points) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (12 points, 7 rebounds) also contributed on both ends of the floor. Off the bench, Austin Reeves (9 points, 4 assists) shined, while Cam Johnson (15 points) also produced in the second half. The passing ability of Tyreese Halliburton (7 points, 12 assists) stood out down the stretch.
Team USA went with a starting line-up of Jaylen Brunson-Anthony Edwards-Mikal Bridges-Brandon Ingram-Jaren Jackson Jr. It’s a well-balanced line-up with plenty of explosive talent.
Jaren Jackson Jr. opened the scoring for the USA with a drive to the basket and a fast break dunk by Anthony Edwards after Puerto Rico struggled to find their rhythm. With a renewed focus, the USA closed the first quarter with a 27-21 lead with Jackson at the centre and Reeves and Ingram providing support.
Experimenting with different line-ups in the second quarter, the USA struggled to get going and allowed Puerto Rico to pull away. However, Reeves changed the tone of the game, leading the offence, and they built on the lead. Back-to-back dunks from Edwards and Bridges gave the USA a 50-43 halftime lead.
In the second half, the USA pounded Puerto Rico, with Brunson scoring on a mid-range jumper followed by a three-pointer from Ingram. Puerto Rico didn’t go away easily, but the USA stemmed the tide with a rim attack by Brunson and a steal by Bridges.
From there, the U.S. pulled away with Edwards’ presence inside and out. Bobby Portis and Cam Johnson took turns scoring to extend the lead to more than 20 points. The third quarter ended with the USA leading 84-61.
In the fourth quarter, the US offence continued. Spurred on by the bench, the USA went up 92-61 after Halliburton and Johnson combined for a spectacular alley-oop dunk. After a 20-0 scoring run, Puerto Rico narrowly escaped empty-handed with a Tremont Waters jumper, but the USA answered right back with a Johnson three-pointer.
The USA turned up the defensive intensity and kept their opponents off the board for the remainder of the game. A depleted Puerto Rico was too much for the USA to overcome. Halliburton closed out the game with a series of good assists.
With their first exhibition match out of the way, the US will continue their World Cup tune-up with matches against Slovenia, Spain, and Greece.