Team USA survives scare in Olympic warmup, scraping past South Sudan 101-100

The US men’s basketball team fought back from a double-digit deficit to edge past South Sudan 101-100 in a dramatic pre-Olympic friendly in London, England on Saturday.

The US men’s basketball team fought back from a double-digit deficit to edge past South Sudan 101-100 in a dramatic pre-Olympic friendly in London, England on Saturday. Despite its star power, Team USA has occasionally flattered to deceive recently and has looked unconvincing at times in victory. A late bucket from LeBron James spared the team’s blushes in the final seconds, with head coach Steve Kerr taking responsibility for his team’s complacency. “South Sudan was amazing, Royal (Ivey) and his staff did a great job of preparing his team for the game, I did not do a great job of preparing our team for the game,” he said postgame. “The whole team was embarrassed at halftime, to be down 14 and outplayed.” Ivey, South Sudan head coach, said that there were “no moral victories” after his team came within seconds of a historic upset but praised his squad’s resilience. “Every possession we battle, every possession we’re on the floor, every possession we competed … we want to take this comradery and togetherness into our first game.Staying together no matter what.”