The South Sudan basketball team almost suffered a major shock to the US NBA superstars when they lost 100-101 in a friendly match in London.
The South Sudan basketball team almost suffered a major shock to the US NBA superstars when they lost 100-101 in a friendly match in London.
LeBron James was the top scorer for the US with 25 points, including the decisive basket with just eight seconds left at the O2 Arena.
South Sudan, who led 58-44 at halftime, took advantage late in the quarter after an 8-0 scoring run and were on the verge of pulling off one of the biggest upsets in international basketball history, before King James salvaged the day.
The US basketball team struggled to defeat South Sudan 101-100 in a friendly match in London
“The ending was in our favor, just feeling it, feeling what it’s going to be like in Paris ,” said U.S. coach Steve Kerr.
“It’s a good experience for us. It’s a good reminder that when we play other teams, it’s the biggest experience of their lives and we have to expect everyone to play like that.”
JT Thor, who has played for the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets for the past three seasons, hit a three-pointer with 20 seconds left to give South Sudan a 100-99 lead.
After LeBron James made the game-winning shot, South Sudan had one final possession but Carlik Jones missed a jumper with six seconds left. Center Wenyen Gabriel also missed two rebounds before the final buzzer.
LeBron James (left) “rescued” the US with the decisive score at the end of the 4th quarter.
“South Sudan were fantastic,” Kerr said. “I didn’t prepare my team well enough. We didn’t focus enough on their abilities and that was my fault.
“I think that really gave South Sudan some confidence early on. When we picked up the pace in the second half, they hit a bunch of three-pointers and felt really good about themselves.”
It was James who sparked a 23-5 run for the US team from late in the third quarter to early in the fourth.
“We have to keep going one step further ,” said LeBron James, a two-time Olympic champion and four-time NBA champion.
“A lot of the teams we play have been training for a month or more and we might have two weeks of training together. So every game, every session, we have an opportunity. We have to try to make the most of that opportunity, not back down.”
Coach Steve Kerr and his team’s warm-up campaign for the Paris Olympics is still on track.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid added 14 points and seven rebounds for Team USA. Anthony Davis came off the bench to score 15 points and 11 rebounds for the USA NBA All-Star Team.
“We’re not 100 percent united like we saw tonight ,” Davis said, “But like I said, everything is manageable.”
For South Sudan, ranked 33rd in the world, Marial Shayok scored 24 points, Jones added 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, and Thor scored 14 points off the bench.
Shayok played in China and briefly played with Embiid in Philadelphia while Jones played for Partizan, a successful Serbian team.
The U.S. team will play South Sudan again in the Olympic group stage on July 31 in Lille.
