USA win a riveting contest
It was a star-studded night at the Carioca Arena in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday as stars from the NBA descended on either side of the court as two-time defending champions United States took on an Australian side which featured five NBA stars.
The match, although a group stage affair, proved to be the most intriguing one of these Games so far. USA are the most dominant in the game that was invented by a Canadian-American, and even without the likes of LeBron James and Stephen Curry, they are the team to beat. But on Wednesday they came up against a side which was brimming with confidence and not willing to give an inch to their more illustrious opponents.
New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony got the game off and running with a couple of three-pointers but Australia hit back through San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills. Neither side managed to get a stranglehold on the game as the first quarter ended 29-29. With Mills in mesmerising form and 2015 NBA Champion Andrew Bogut complementing him, the Boomers took a 54-49 lead by the end of the second quarter.
The NBA-star-studded United States were being made to sweat and tempers started to flare as everyone sensed a shock on the cards. But USA have not set the benchmark of basketball for nothing. They upped their game in the third quarter, foiled a few attacks and hit on the fast-break to take a 70-67 lead at the end of the quarter.
Carmelo and Kyrie Irving started to tighten the screws around the Boomers and, with Hollywood star Mathew McConaughey cheering them on from the stands, the Americans never looked back and finished with a 98-88 win.
Carmelo, who scored a game-high 31 points and became USA's all-time leading scorer in Olympics, later admitted that they were prepared for an assault from the Aussies.
"We kind of expected a game like this, a physical game, a grind-out game," the nine-time NBA All-Star said. "From playing with Australia the past few years, knowing the type of team they are and knowing the type of players they have, we knew it would come down to the end, where we would have to bunker down and make plays down the stretch."
Having dispatched China 119-62 and Venezuela 113-69 in the previous matches, this was a rather tricky opposition that USA were facing. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has been with the USA for the past 10 years, showered praise on the opposition.
"We beat a heck of a team tonight. Australia has probably played the best of everyone in the Olympics. They've played three really tough opponents and they just play lights-out basketball. They play so well together as one."
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