Team USA Holds Off Tough Australia in Pre-Olympic Tune-Up

The United States men's basketball team edged out a determined Australian squad 98-92 in a close pre-Olympic exhibition game played in Abu Dhabi. It was a hard-fought battle that showed both the strengths and weaknesses of Team USA as they gear up for the Paris Olympics

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Australia's Patty Mills kept things interesting with a late three-pointer that brought them within six points, but Team USA's Tyrese Haliburton responded with crucial three-pointers that ultimately sealed the win

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Jock Landale led the scoring charge for Australia with 20 points and impressive rebounding. Coach Steve Kerr of Team USA experimented with his starting lineup, and while Australia capitalized on this in the second half by scoring inside the paint, they couldn't contain the powerful American big men like Anthony Davis, who finished with a strong performance of 17 points and 7 rebounds.

However, Team USA also struggled with turnovers, racking up 18 for the game, similar to their previous exhibition win over Canada. Coach Kerr acknowledged this as a learning experience, stating, "We gave up a ton of points at the basket... It's a good lesson for us. Better to learn that lesson now than later."

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Just like in their previous game, Team USA's "second unit" of talented players like Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, Bam Adebayo, Davis, and Devin Booker proved to be a game-changer. This group went on a scoring run that turned a tied game into a comfortable lead in the first half.

Kerr even used them as starters in the second half, highlighting the incredible depth of Team USA. "The strength of our team is our depth and we have to utilize it," Kerr emphasized. This luxury of having All-Star-caliber players coming off the bench creates a major challenge for their opponents, who simply don't have the same level of talent reserves.

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Team USA will next face Serbia, who they'll also meet in the Olympics, on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi. They have two more exhibition games scheduled in London before the big event, while Australia's Olympic journey begins against Spain on July 27th.