LeBron James has saved the US from what would have been a stunning loss.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
His layup with eight seconds left was the go-ahead basket on Saturday, and the US Olympic team that'll soon head to the Paris Games escaped with a 101-100 win over South Sudan in London, rallying from a 16-point deficit to avoid perhaps the biggest upset in the program's history.
The African nation that gained its independence just 13 years ago and is about to play in the Olympics for the first time, led for more than half the game and had a chance to win at the end. But Carlik Jones' runner off the glass missed and the Americans survived.
"I'm going to be honest: I like those better than the blowouts," James said as he walked off the court.
"At least we get tested."
The Americans dug out of that hole with an 18-0 run in the second half — then needed heroics at the end. JT Thor's three-pointer with 20 seconds left gave South Sudan a 100-99 lead, then the Americans called timeout and put the ball in James' hands.
He made it look easy: He waited, waited, waited, then drove and laid it in with ease to put the US back on top, and the Americans got the stop they needed at the end.
"A good reminder that when we play against teams, it's the biggest game of their lives," US coach Steve Kerr said.
"We have to expect everyone to play like that."
James finished with a game-high 25 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the US, who improved to 4-0 with one game left — against World Cup champions Germany — on their pre-Olympic exhibition tour.
Anthony Davis added 15 points and 11 rebounds while Marial Shayok had 24 points for South Sudan and Jones a triple-double (15 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists).
The teams will meet in group play in the Paris Olympics on July 31.
"You want to play perfect every game; it doesn't happen.," US guard Stephen Curry said.
"But can you dig deep and do the little things that help you win? Offence can come and go, but defence is the thing that helps you win championships, medals, all that stuff."
The US roster has 12 players, all of them All-Stars or NBA champions or both, with a total of 189,038 points in their regular-season careers, with 7,832 combined starts. South Sudan has four players who have appeared in an NBA game.
"Today we were able to represent our country with pride and we put up a good fight and showed the potential of our country," Wenyen Gabriel said.
"I think it was a proud moment for a lot of people."
Davis said the US team got to the arena late, thrown off by standstill London traffic, and that routines going into the game were disrupted. Maybe so, but South Sudan showed that nobody at the Olympics will concede anything to the four-time defending gold medallists.
Australian Associated Press
