Durant, Beal Lead Team USA to First Olympics Exhibition Win At the Expense of Argentina

(Photo : Ethan Miller/Getty Images) LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 10: Head coach Gregg Popovich of the United States gestures during an exhibition game against Nigeria at Michelob ULTRA Arena ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games on July 10, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nigeria defeated the United States 90-87.

USA Basketball finally showed up on Tuesday night. After suffering embarrassing losses in their first two exhibition matches against Nigeria and Australia, the pressure was on Team USA to record its first win of the tuneup tournament. That they just did, thrashing Argentina by 28 points as the Americans cruised to a 108-80 victory in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It was a dominant performance by the Americans who avoided what would have been their first three-game losing streak in this era of NBA superstars representing USA Basketball on the international stage. Instead, Team USA extended its winning streak against Argentina, as the Americans have now won each of their last ten meetings, with their last defeat coming at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Durant and Beal lead the way for Team USA

Leading the way for Team USA were Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. After struggling in their previous two games, the All-Star duo finally got their offensive games going on Tuesday, each recording 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Beal had averaged just seven points in the losses to Nigeria and Australia, while Durant shot just 10-of-26 from the field in those two outings.

Three other players scored in double figures for Team USA, Zach LaVine, Damian Lillard, and Bam Adebayo, who nabbed 15, 13, and 12 points, respectively. LaVine stepped up big time in the absence of Jayson Tatum, who was sidelined due to a sore right knee. He shot 5 of 8 from the field and finished the evening with five rebounds, three assists, and one steal.

The key for the Americans in this victory was their brilliant effort on both ends of the floor. Team USA shot 51.4% from the field in this contest while connecting on 13-of-29 (44.8%) from beyond the arc. They also controlled the rebounding battle with a 40-34 edge. The Americans were better defensively as well as they held Argentina to just 38.4 percent field goal shooting.

Americans pull away in the first quarter

Knowing the importance of this ballgame, Team USA started this game strongly with Durant knocking down a pair of three-pointers to help build an early 10-4 lead. They stretched that advantage even further thanks to their red-hot outside shooting as Team USA entered the second quarter with a 33-19 advantage.

Team USA continued its dominance the rest of the game as the Americans proved too strong for Argentina despite missing four of their Olympians. Apart from Tatum, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and Devin Booker were also not in the lineup against Argentina as they are still slugging it out in the NBA Finals. The trio is expected to join the team in Tokyo once the championship series is over.

It was another disappointing result for the Argentinians, who came into this exhibition tournament ranked fourth in the world after a runner-up showing at the 2019 FIBA World Cup. They are struggling for form at the moment, though, as they lost their third consecutive exhibition match at Mandalay Bay this week.