Tatum and Holiday make their mark in Team USA’s practice win over Canada

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday both played in Team USA’s game against Canada on Wednesday night during the USA Basketball Showcase in Las Vegas.

Team USA shook off a sluggish start in the first of five preseason games for the Paris Olympics, beating Canada 86-72. While Anthony Edwards led the way for the Americans with 13 points and Steph Curry added a dozen of his own, Tatum and Holiday had their own impact on the victory.

Holiday got the start alongside Curry, Devin Booker, LeBron James and Joel Embiid, but that all-star group watched Canada race out to an 11-1 lead as Team USA missed its first six shots. Holiday missed a 3-pointer and grabbed a pair of defensive rebounds during the period before checking out with the U.S. trailing 12-4.

Tatum made an early impression when he checked in off the bench, recording a pair of layups, a steal and an assist on an Anthony Davis dunk to close out the first quarter and help his team cut Canada’s lead to 21-14.

Team USA set up defensively and took it offensively from there, outscoring Canada 27-12 in the second quarter to take a 41-33 lead into halftime. Curry took over in the first minute of the third, with an and-1 layup and a pair of three-pointers in the opening minutes, and it was plain sailing for Team USA from there on out.

Tatum coming off the bench (along with the likes of Davis, Edwards and Bam Adebayo) underscores the embarrassment of riches for Team USA. He played 17 minutes and finished with eight points on 4-for-7 shooting, along with a rebound, a pair of assists, a steal and a block. He didn’t attempt a single three that night, instead imposing his power by attacking the rim.

Holiday’s impact was even greater, however, as he did for Team USA what he did for the Celtics during Boston’s title run. He was instrumental for Team USA in the final minutes, as he continued to push the offensive tempo while also making a handful of solid defensive plays. The point guard scored nine points in the quarter and finished with 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and a pair of blocks in his 20 minutes of action.

Team USA will also have another Celtics star in the near future, with Derrick White will join the team as a replacement for Kawhi Leonard due to an injury. The US was also without Kevin Durant on Wednesday night, as he was sidelined with a calf injury.

The squad finished in Vegas and now heads to Abu Dhabi for two more friendlies (Australia on July 15 and Serbia on July 17) before heading to London for two more matches (South Sudan on July 20 and Germany on July 22). They then head to Paris and open their Olympic program against Serbia on July 28.