Team USA stayed perfect in exhibition play as they managed to hold on to beat Australia in Abu Dhabi to move to 2-0.
The Americans took control early in the first half thanks to their outside shooting and defense, but Australia mounted a fourth-quarter comeback that nearly prevailed. However, Tyrese Haliburton and Devin Booker were able to knock down clutch shots in crunch time to give Team USA the victory.
Aside from Haliburton and Booker’s heroics, Anthony Davis had another strong performance off the bench as he racked up 17 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, one steal and one assist in just 18 minutes. Davis is the only player on the roster to record a double-double in both exhibition games.
Davis’ dominant play has earned him a longer look as the starting center over Joel Embiid, and head coach Steve Kerr said he’ll continue to experiment with lineups, via Joe Vardon of The Athletic:
“These next few games, I’m going to continue to experiment with the lineups,” Kerr said. “Joel is getting better and better every day. It usually takes big guys a little bit longer to get rhythm and flow, but I love Joel, he’s a dominant player, and I think it’s going to be important for us to figure out the best combinations and putting the right people together, and that’s still a work in progress.”
One look that’s gotten a lot of play so far is Bam Adebayo and Davis, though Kerr said the latter can play with anybody:
“AD with anybody is good,” Kerr said.
It’s becoming harder for Kerr to justify starting Embiid over Davis as the the former has struggled to fit in with the rest of his star teammates. Embiid had a better game against Australia, scoring 10 points and pulling down five rebounds but his fit seems awkward at best with the other starters.
Meanwhile, Davis looks far more comfortable on the floor and has made an impact on both ends of the floor in his limited minutes. Kerr’s got a difficult decision to make in the coming weeks as the 2024 Olympics approach, but there’s no doubt that Davis is in line for a much bigger role and more minutes.
Lakers’ Anthony Davis excited to be coached by Steve Kerr on Team USA
Steve Kerr was a worthy choice to lead the national team because of his championship experience and ability to communicate with stars. For those reasons, Anthony Davis acknowledged that he’s excited to be coached by Kerr this summer.
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