Team USA's quest for a fourth consecutive men's basketball gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics got off to a rocky start after the star-studded squad dropped its first two exhibition games against Nigeria and Australia.
The good news for Team USA is that this is not yet the tournament proper. See below to find out when the USA Men's Basketball Team is scheduled to play during the Olympics, the remaining dates for their exhibition games in Las Vegas, and the players included on the American roster.
Team USA's Tokyo Olympics Schedule
Date Matchup Time July 25, Sunday Team USA vs. France 8:00 a.m. ET July 28, Wednesday Team USA vs. Iran 12:40 p.m. ET July 31, Saturday Team USA vs. Czech Republic 8:00 a.m. ET August 3, Tuesday Men's Quarterfinals To be determined August 5, Thursday Men's Semifinals To be determined August 6, Friday Men's Gold Medal Game 10:30 p.m. ET August 7, Saturday Men's Bronze Medal Game 7:00 a.m. ET
The men's basketball competition will start on July 25, two days after the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics, with 12 countries participating in the initial group phase. Team USA has been bracketed in Group A alongside France, Iran, and the Czech Republic.
The USA Men's Basketball Team will open its campaign against European powerhouse France. The Americans know fully well France's capabilities as they suffered a shock quarterfinal loss to the Frenchmen in the 2019 FIBA World Cup that knocked them out of the medal hunt.
Team USA will then take on Iran on July 28 before concluding its group assignments with a meeting with the Czech Republic on July 31. All of Team USA's group games will be played at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Related Article: Team USA Loses Again to Australia; Now 0-2 in Exhibition Matches
Team USA's Exhibition Schedule
|
Date |
Matchup |
Time |
|
July 10, Saturday |
Nigeria 90, USA 87 |
- |
|
July 12, Monday |
Australia 91, USA 83 |
- |
|
July 13, Tuesday |
USA 108, Argentina 80 |
- |
|
July 16, Friday |
USA vs. Australia |
6:00 p.m. ET |
|
July 18, Sunday |
USA vs. Spain |
9:00 p.m. ET |
Team USA finally entered the winner's circle on Tuesday, thrashing Argentina 108-80. It was a morale-boosting win for the Americans, who improved to 1-2 in their exhibition matches. Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal led the way for Team USA in the one-sided win, each scoring 17 points.
Team USA will continue its Olympic tuneup on July 16 when the Americans take on Australia in a rematch of their July 12 clash. Team USA will look to exact revenge after suffering a 91-83 defeat to the Boomers in that contest. Team USA will then conclude its exhibition slate with a meeting against European giants Spain on July 18.
It's important to state that Team USA is missing three of its key players at the moment. Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Devin Booker are still playing in the NBA Finals and will join the national team once the series is over. The 12-man contingent that will head to Tokyo also includes Damian Lillard, Kevin Love, Bam Adebayo, Zach LaVine, Jerami Grant, Draymond Green, and Jayson Tatum.
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