Team USA booked their berth in the quarterfinal of the basketball tournament at the Paris Olympics after a comfortable 17-point win over South Sudan in their second group stage outing. Many expected a close affair akin to the thrilling exhibition game the two teams played out a few days ago. However, the gold medal favorites controlled proceedings from tip-off and cruised to victory. But Paul Pierce wasn’t impressed.
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On Undisputed, the Hall of Famer claimed that Team USA’s performance wasn’t extraordinary and they did the bare minimum to secure the win. He said,
“I mean it was a good win but I wasn’t impressed. There was no point in the game where I was like, ‘Oh, man, the US is putting the smacking on them’. Like, when I’m impressed by something, I’m jumping out of my seat like in disbelief.”
“Good win. Impressed? Not quite.”
— @paulpierce34 reacts to Team USA's 103-86 win over South Sudan. pic.twitter.com/quq9wEcdqH
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) August 1, 2024
Pierce added that nobody on Team USA stood out, especially on the offensive end. He also noted that this was the second game in a row where a player who came off the bench led the team in scoring. Kevin Durant did it in the team’s first outing against Serbia and Bam Adebayo was the top scorer with 18 points against South Sudan.
Despite not being impressed by the win, Pierce lauded the team’s stellar defensive performance. He said,
“I like what I saw defensively. Forcing turnovers, getting out on the break. Derrick White, I mean, he just constantly reminds me why he is one the more underappreciated [Players] on that championship Boston Celtics from this year.”
Pierce claimed that he expects the star-studded roster to find their groove and register wins much bigger than the 17-point hammering they dished out to South Sudan. While the Hall of Famer wasn’t content with Team USA’s performance, the players and coaches are likely ecstatic about their dominant win.
Team USA cruised to victory against South Sudan
Before the Olympics commenced, Team USA learned about South Sudan firsthand after narrowly beating in an exhibition game in London. The tournament favorites trailed by one point with under half a minute left, but LeBron James rescued them from a shocking loss with a game-winning layup.
Going into their second meeting against South Sudan in less than two weeks, Team USA was aware of the threat they posed and did not take their foot off the gas until the game’s dying seconds. However, some players did not perform as well as they would’ve expected.
Jayson Tatum, who did not play in their tournament opener against Serbia, was handed a start but couldn’t capitalize. The Celtics superstar finished the game with four points, five rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes.
Stephen Curry’s poor start to the Olympics continued as he could muster only three points and one assist in 21 minutes. Only two starters managed to hit double-digits in points. James scored 12, while Devin Booker finished with 10.
On the contrary, four players who came off the bench scored 10 or more points. Adebayo led the way with 18 points followed by Kevin Durant with 14, Anthony Edwards with 13, and Derrick White with 10.
While Team USA has secured a berth in the quarterfinals, they wouldn’t want to rest on their laurel when they take on Puerto Rico in their final group game on August 3rd. They’d look to give more minutes to players who haven’t featured much in the first two games but will still look to register a massive win to set the tone ahead of the knockout phase.
