Team USA overcomes Steph Curry’s struggles in 103-86 win over South Sudan

Steve Kerr made some adjustments to the rotation and Team USA kept rolling.

Team USA’s hopes to get the gold in Men’s Basketball (5x5) remain intact after defeating South Sudan 103-86 on Wednesday night in Paris. It may not have been the massive blowout that some Team USA fans expect from every matchup, but Team USA built a double digit lead by the end of the first quarter and the outcome was never in doubt.

Coming off his best performance of the Olympics, Steph Curry had one of his rougher showings. Curry scored just 3 points and finished with 4 fouls. He was only 1-for-9 from the field and missed all 6 of his three-point attempts. He did add 4 assists to his final line.

Team USA’s head coach Steve Kerr continued to play with the rotation, giving Jayson Tatum his largest opportunity of the tournament. In 17 minutes, Tatum had 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Tatum’s opportunity largely came at the expense of Joel Embiid, whose slower and less motion-oriented style of play has frustrated some onlookers, received his first DNP.

Team USA’s unparalleled wing trio of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Edwards were all impactful, all scoring between 12-14 points. However, it was Bam Adebayo who had the best all-around performance. The Heat star scored 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting with 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, a steal and a +22 plus/minus in just under 21 minutes of action.

As the 2024 Summer Olympics continue, Team USA will now play Puerto Rico on Saturday in their final matchup of the group stage. They are currently 2-0 and in firm control of the top spot in their group.