Steph Curry reflects on making his first Olympic roster
Steph Curry talks about what it’s like to finally make the USA Men’s Basketball Olympic roster.
LAS VEGAS – The U.S. men’s basketball team plays together in its first game as it prepares for the 2024 Paris Olympics. beat Canada 86-72 Wednesday in an exhibition match.
Anthony Edwards had 13 points, Steph Curry had 12, Anthony Davis had 10 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, American LeBron James added seven points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in 19 minutes, Jrue Holiday scored 11 points. Five rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
The U.S. is looking to win its fifth consecutive Olympic gold, and Canada’s NBA-loaded roster — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murry and R.J. Barrett – a medal contender for its first Olympic podium finish since taking silver in 1936. .
In Olympic tune-ups, the USA will play Australia (July 15) and Serbia (July 17) in Abu Dhabi, and South Sudan (July 20) and Germany (July 22) in London. The U.S. opens the Olympics on July 28 against Serbia.
It was a good start to the exhibition schedule for the U.S., whose roster has trained together four times and given Canada’s medal potential.
American coach Steve Kerr started James, Curry, Holiday, Devin Booker and Joel Embiid, and the Americans trailed 11-1.
But the luxury that no other team has is Kerr’s front five of Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo, Davis and Tyrese Halliburton. They helped start a 14-3 run for a 28-23 U.S. lead.
The US held a 41-33 halftime lead and opened up a 50-37 advantage on nine straight points, including two 3-pointers by Curry. Edwards hit a 3 at the end of the third quarter to give the USA a 69-54 lead.
The scale and security so desperately needed by Americans was on display. They outrebounded Canada 53-48, blocked nine shots and held Canada to 33.8% shooting. Despite making just 7 of 23 3-pointers, USA shot 50.7% from the field.
“It was a good first game for us,” Kerr said. “We’re really just getting started — four days of practice. You’ll see some rust on the offensive end (and) a lot of turnovers in that first half, especially. But I like the defensive intensity and the glass work.
“So, it was a good first effort, we needed to set the tone for how we wanted to play, and I think we did that.”
USA is down to 10 players. Kevin Durant missed the game with a strained calf, and the U.S. replaced Kawhi Leonard with Derrick White, who will join the team in Abu Dhabi.
Barrett led Canada with 12 points, and Dillon Brooks and Gilgeous-Alexander had 10 each.
