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Team USA take the final win against team Spain before Olympics
The final exhibition game is played by the American men’s basketball team as the Olympics draw closer. And on Sunday, team USA played team Spain in the exhibition’s final match. After losing the first two exhibition games, team USA finally put an end to the games with back-to-back victories.
In the previous match, Team USA triumphed over Team Argentina.
TEAM USA defeated TEAM SPAIN 83-76 in their most recent matchup before leaving for the Olympics in Tokyo.
Team USA was captained by Damian Lillard.
Zach Lavine, Kevin Durant, and Keldon Johnson then came next, all of whom had double-digit scoring totals.
Ricky Rubio, on the other side, led the Spanish squad and had the game’s most points.
Willy Hernangomez and Marc Gasol, who both had double-digit scoring totals, came next.
Team USA staged a comeback and won the game in the last minutes.
Team Spain had a solid start to the game and had taken the lead in the first quarter.
Team Spain wins the opening quarter
The opening shot of the first period was made by Jayson Tatum, who missed a fadeaway jumper.
Before Damian Lillard missed a jump jumper from the foul line, Team Spain responded and briefly led Team USA.
Dropping a jumper, Draymond Green added another bucket. Damian afterward made a three-pointer.
Halfway into the quarter, Team USA took a six-point advantage after Kevin Durant denied Ricky Rubio a shot near the basket.
Finally, Rubio missed a jump shot before setting up Usman Garuba for a dunk on the following play.
With 3:04 left in the quarter, Alex Abrines made a jump shot to knot the score.
Team Spain gained the advantage after Sergio Rodriquez made a three-point shot.
With 2:12 left in the third quarter, Pau Gasol made a floater, bringing the score to 12-10.
Durant responded by letting go of a jumper on the opposite end.
Usman missed a layup attempt and was fouled as a result.
Usman’s missed free throw was blocked by Paul Gasol.
To make a layup, Jeremy drove directly to the opposing end.
As a result, team Spain won the quarter 18-14 to take the lead.
In the second quarter, Team USA reduced the advantage
The opening shot of the second quarter was a three-pointer made by Rudy Fernandez.
Bam Adebayo retaliated by firing a hook shot from the opposing end.
Adebayo had Willy Henangomez covered, but he still knocked down a jump shot.
Usman Garuba was stopped by Keldon Johnson at the basket. Rudy then made a three-pointer and it was successful.
Johnson responded on the other end with a three-pointer about Tatum’s background.
Ricky missed a jump shot, giving team Spain an 8-point advantage.
Durant retaliated by sinking a three-pointer.
Rubio then missed a jump shot on the following possession.
On the opposite end, Lillard retorted with a three-pointer.
Rubio once more made a basket, this time from beyond the arc, giving team Spain a 7-point advantage.
Kevin, on the other hand, missed a fadeaway jumper and was called for a foul as a result.
Tatum successfully blocked Rubio at the rim. By making a three-pointer, Kevin Durant reduced the deficit to four points.
As a result, the third quarter began with team USA decreasing team Spain’s lead to two points, 38-36.
The third quarter sees a commanding comeback by Team USA
In the first shot of the third quarter, Rubio drove directly to the basket and made a layup.
On the subsequent possession, he also dismantled a jump shot.
In response to Durant’s assist, Draymond Green made a three-pointer while the shot clock was still running.
Marc Gasol made a floater on the other end, giving Team Spain a two-point lead.
Usman was stopped by Durant at the basket. A jumper was missed by Keldon on the following possession.
Tatum found Damian on the other side for a three-pointer after grabbing a rebound. Team USA finally took the lead.
Johnson received a slam assist from Lillard.
On the following possession, Zach Lavine added a third goal by sinking a three-pointer.
Johnson scored again, making a layup off an assist from Adebayo.
As Marc Gasol made a three-pointer, Team Spain trailed Team USA by 10 points.
Consequently, team USA defeated team Spain 57-50, holding a 7-point lead going into the third quarter.
Team USA triumphed
The first shot of the fourth period was a three-pointer made by Zach Lavine.
Then, on the other end, Johnson was blocked by Willy, who also missed a jump shot on the following possession.
Jeremy Grant retaliated by making a three-pointer to score.
On the other end, Rodriguez missed a three-point attempt.
Rodriguez passed to Hernangomez, who made a layup to narrow Team USA’s advantage to eight points.
On Green’s pass on the other side, Tatum missed a layup attempt halfway through the period.
At the end of the shot clock, Zach Lavine scored again, sinking a three-pointer.
After then, Durant made a long jumper, giving team USA an 11-point advantage.
Next, Johnson missed a layup opportunity. Lavine drove to the basket and made a slam dunk.
Team USA added another basket thanks to a Durant lob to Lavine for a slam.
Team USA gained a 16-point advantage when Lillard made a three-pointer.
Lillard then missed a long jumper with a little over two minutes remaining in the quarter.
After Willy made a three-pointer from the corner, the score eventually read 83-76.
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Scoreboard
Team USA’s top scorer Damian Lillard with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Kevin Durant scored 14 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and made 2 assists after him.
Zach Lavine also made an impact with 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists.
After replacing Kevin Love on the roster, Keldon Johnson led the team USA bench, scoring 15 points and grabbing three rebounds in his first game.
However, Ricky Rubio of team Spain led the team with a game-high 23 points and 3 rebounds.
Ten points, five rebounds, and two assists from Marc Gasol.
Willy Hernangomez, who scored 11 points and grabbed three rebounds, topped the Spain team’s bench.
The 2021 Olympic Opening Ceremony will take place on July 23.
In contrast, the men’s basketball competition begins on July 25 and concludes with the medal games on August 6–7.
