ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Team USA coach Steve Kerr has used different starting lineups in two exhibition games this summer, and two early trends have emerged.
Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Anthony Edwards is a scorer for the Americans. And the USA bench crew, regardless of who is on it, is the separator.
The U.S. defeated Australia 98-92 on Monday in an Olympic tuneup in front of 12,217 fans at Etihad Arena, the largest crowd to ever watch a game in Abu Dhabi’s house of basketball. Edwards, one of two lineup changes Kerr made from last week’s game against Canada, scored 14 points with the starters; the other new starter was Jayson Tatum (seven points, five assists).
ANT JUST DID THAT. 😮💨
🇺🇸 #USABMNT x 📺 @FS1 pic.twitter.com/uSweeqes6X
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 15, 2024
Kerr’s bench was paced by another monster effort from Anthony Davis, who now has two double-doubles this summer after his game-high 17 points and 14 rebounds in 18 minutes against the Aussies. He subbed in for Joel Embiid (10 points) with the rest of Team USA’s starters still on the floor, giving Kerr a different look with the more active Davis next to Edwards, Tatum, LeBron James (10 points) and Stephen Curry (three points on 1-of-6 shooting).
Edwards was the Americans’ leading scorer last summer at the World Cup. The Olympic team has far more star power than last year’s group, but Edwards is a top scorer through two exhibition games anyway. The U.S. all-time leading scorer, Kevin Durant, still hasn’t played this summer with a strained left calf. Edwards pulled a Durant in the third quarter, stopping the Aussies’ 10-0 run with a hard drive to the bucket and a free throw with 2:48 left.
Kerr also turned to Edwards with the bench on the court and Australia charging; the Boomers had trimmed an 18-point deficit down to six with less than four minutes left. Tyrese Haliburton, another U.S. reserve, banged two consecutive 3s to halt the rally, but the Australians continued to keep it close until the final buzzer.
If you put any stock in plus-minus, the Americans were actually outscored when James, Tatum, Edwards and Curry were on the court. The U.S. bench built a lead of as many as 23 points, which the team turned out to really need. It was a four-point game with 3.4 seconds left. Devin Booker scored 16 points and Bam Adebayo added 10 points off the bench.
The U.S. led this one by as many as 23 points. Australia, which like Canada has a roster of mostly NBA players, was led by 20 points from Jock Landale and 17 points from Josh Giddey. Dyson Daniels added 14 points.
This is the second time in as many summers that USA Basketball conducted a week of its preseason in Abu Dhabi. The U.S. plays Serbia, with two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, on Wednesday before flying to London for the final leg of Olympic training.
Jokić and his Serbian teammates watched the first half of the Americans’ win seated in the stands, with fans in front of and behind him.
This story will be updated.
(Photo: Giuseppe Cacace / AFP via Getty Images)
