The U.S. men's basketball team held on to the win, but it now knows it still has a long way to go until the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The team held a lead of as many as 24 points to beat Australia 98-92 on Monday in Abu Dhabi in their second pre-Olympic scrimmage. The win came on the heels of an 86-72 win over Canada in Las Vegas last week.
Australia eventually cut the U.S. lead to six points in the fourth quarter, but consecutive three-pointers from Tyrese Haliburton put the U.S. back within 12 with two and a half minutes remaining. Australia pulled within four with under 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and the U.S. eventually sealed the game with a shot from the free throw line.
Anthony Davis was a beast on both the offensive and defensive fronts for Team USA, finishing with a team-high 17 points, a team-high 14 rebounds and two blocks.
Six Team USA players scored in double figures against Australia: Davis, Devin Booker (16), Anthony Edwards (14), LeBron James (10), Joel Embiid (10) and Bam Adebayo (10). Eight players made 3-pointers, and the team went 12 of 29 from the field in the second half of the game.
Turnovers were also an issue for the Americans in their second joint match, with 15 turnovers against Canada and 18 against Australia.
Coach Steve Kerr made two changes to his starting lineup, adding Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum to the starting five in place of Booker and Jrue Holiday, while James, Joel Embiid and Stephen Curry all started for the second straight game.
Booker and Holiday played on the second unit along with Davis, Adebayo and Haliburton throughout Monday's game.
Derrick White, who filled in for Kawhi Leonard, did not play in Monday's game, and Kevin Durant is also recovering from a calf injury and missed his second straight scrimmage.
USA Basketball Schedule
The U.S. team will play another exhibition match against Serbia on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, a prelude to the teams' first match at the Paris Olympics on July 28.
From there, the U.S. team will play two more pre-Olympic exhibitions in London, on Saturday and next Monday.
| date | Match | competition | time | Television Network |
| July 17 | USA Team vs Serbia | USA Basketball Showcase (Abu Dhabi) | 12pm ET | FS1 |
| July 20 | Team USA vs. South Sudan | USA Basketball Showcase (London) | 3pm ET | Fox |
| July 22 | Team USA vs. Germany | USA Basketball Showcase (London) | 3pm ET | Fox |
After losing to Boston in the NBA playoffs, Tyrese Haliburton will team up with July Holiday and Jayson Tatum on Team USA.
