Team USA, featuring Phoenix Suns stars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, looked predictably shaky in their first official exhibition game against Canada on Wednesday night but came away with a comfortable 86-72 victory.
Without Durant (calf strain), Booker started and played a team-high-tying 20 minutes, finishing with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting (1-of-2 from the 3-point line) to go with two rebounds and two assists.
The U.S. team has four NBA MVPs (LeBron James, Durant, Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid) and is the favorite to win the gold medal.
In terms of international competition experience, the U.S. has five athletes who won gold medals at the recent Olympics in Tokyo.
The team will continue its five-game traveling exhibition schedule in Abu Dhabi on Monday, July 15. Team USA will begin Olympic competition in Paris on July 28.
Here's how to watch the match:
USA Basketball Showcase
All times are Mountain Standard Time.
July 15: Australia (Abu Dhabi, UAE), 9am, FS1
July 17: Serbia (Abu Dhabi, UAE), 9am, FS1
July 20: South Sudan (London), noon, FOX
July 22: Germany (London), noon, FOX
2024 Paris Olympics
Team USA will be placed in Group C in the four-team group phase, with the top two teams in points advancing to the bracket stage. Team USA's three-match group phase schedule is set as follows:
July 28: Serbia (Lille, France), 8:15 a.m., NBC
July 31South Sudan (Lille, France), noon, NBC
August 3Puerto Rico (Lille, France), 8:15 a.m., NBC
The Olympic men's basketball quarterfinals will be held in Paris on August 5. The semifinals will follow two days later on August 7, with the final set to be the highlight of the event on Saturday, August 10.
