US basketball team narrowly defeats South Sudan in preparation for Olympics

James hit a go-ahead layup driving to the left with eight seconds left, and South Sudan missed three shots to pull off a monumental upset on their final possession. James led the Americans with 25 points to go with six rebounds and seven assists.

“I like those better than the blowouts,” James said as he walked off the field. “At least we’re getting tested. I like getting tested, baby. I like getting tested. Those are the best.”

For the United States, the narrow victory exposed several issues that could prove problematic in its group-stage opener against Serbia on July 28. The Americans fell behind by 16 points in the first half as their starting lineup, featuring Joel Embiid at center, continued to struggle with slow starts and poor ball movement. South Sudan easily won the outside shooting battle, making 14 of 33 (42.4 percent) 3-pointers compared to the Americans’ 7 of 28 (25 percent). And the Americans’ all-star cast, led by James and Stephen Curry, committed 12 turnovers, many of them inexplicable.

“It was a good reminder that when we play teams, it’s the biggest game of their lives,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We have to expect everybody to play that way. We let our guard down as a team and as a staff, that’s for sure. What we’ve learned with USA Basketball is that the gap has closed.”

Saturday’s exhibition was the fourth of five showcase matches for the Americans before the Olympics. They defeated Canada, Australia and Serbia in the first three, but their chemistry was not always sharp as Kerr experimented with starting lineups and unorthodox rotations.

If it weren’t for a dominant third quarter, which saw the Americans win 37-18 to erase a 14-point halftime deficit and take a lead into the final period, James never would have had the chance to be the hero. Kerr opted to start five bench players to open the third quarter, a decision that paid off with a momentum-shifting 14-4 run.

Still, the Americans, who nearly blew a 24-point second-half lead against Australia on Monday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, flirted with pain again. They led by seven with less than two minutes to play, but South Sudan’s Marial Shayok made a 3-pointer and a jumper to cut the lead to two. JT Thor, a second-round pick in the 2021 NBA draft who played for the Charlotte Hornets last season but is now a free agent, drilled a 3-pointer to give South Sudan a 100-99 lead with 20 seconds left.

Kerr, who had seen Curry miss two jumpers and Anthony Davis a shot at the rim in the closing stages, put the ball in James’ hands on the Americans’ final possession. He wasted no time driving to the rim for the go-ahead basket, and the American team held on for dear life on the other end.

“South Sudan was great,” Kerr said. “I didn’t prepare our team well. We didn’t focus enough on what (South Sudan) could do. That’s my fault. That allowed South Sudan to gain confidence early. … The end was good for us, just to get a feel for what it’s going to be like in Paris.”

Carlik Jones, a former NBA player who played for Dallas, Denver and Chicago, missed a pull-up jumper and Wenyen Gabriel, another former NBA player, couldn’t make two putback attempts before time expired. Jones had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for South Sudan. Shayok added 24 points, including six 3-pointers.

The U.S. men play Germany in London on Monday to complete their exhibition game schedule. After facing Serbia in the Olympic opening game, the Americans will face South Sudan in a rematch on July 31.