By Aris Barkas / info@eurohoops.net
LILLE, France – The score was tied at 10 as South Sudan started the game being feisty. And then Kevin Durant came off the bench.
Soon enough the score was 33-14 with Durant scoring nine points on the 23-4 run and the game was almost over, just 11 minutes after the tipoff.
The USA got the 103-86 win and also qualified for the Paris Olympics quarterfinals with a 2-0 record, having all the tiebreakers in their favor.
South Sudan (1-1) will face Serbia (1-1) with the winner taking the second spot and the losing side hoping to be among the two best third-placed teams.
Bam the top scorer
Bam Adebayo with 14 points in halftime and a total of 18 was the top scorer of a balanced effort. Durant had 14 points, while LeBron James added 12 and the duo of Devin Booker and Derrick White scored 10 points each.
On the other side, Nuni Omot had 13 in the first half and 24 points in total, while Carlik Jones added 18 points and Bul Kuol scored 12.
Coach Steve Kerr started Jayson Tatum and used Tyrese Haliburton, the two players who never left the bench during the previous game against Serbia, keeping this time Joel Embiid out of the rotation.
Proud South Sudan
In theory, South Sudan which lost by one point to the US in a London prep game, was dangerous and at least they proved competitive, trimming the lead to 10 (62-52) in the third period after a three by JT Thor.
However, the USA reacted with an 11-2 run completed with a dunk by Adebayo to push the lead back to 19 (73-54).
“In London, they weren’t prepared for us, and we came in there and we tried to hit them on the chin, and almost had a knockout. Now, this time, they were prepared, they were ready, they were ready for the punches we threw, and they blocked them, and they threw haymakers at us’, South Sudan head coach Royal Ivey admitted.
South Sudan once more trimmed the lead to 12 (80-68) after a layup by Carlik Jones but that was the best they could do until the end.
“Other countries, they have some of the best players in the world now, that’s how the game has grown. But we have more great players, and that’s our strength”, coach Kerr said after the game.
Photo credit: FIBA