Team USA Basketball wins first exhibition game against Canada

Las Vegas - Team USA?men’s?basketball team kicked off its exhibition schedule Wednesday night with an 86-72 win over Canada in Las Vegas, NV.

Throughout the first quarter, Team USA struggled to get offense going with their starting lineup of Steph Curry, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid.?The starting unit fell behind 11-1 against Canada during the first quarter.?

Anthony Edwards helped jump-start the game offensively?leading?the team in scoring with 13 points. Steph Curry added 12 points?and?Anthony Davis finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Despite some mishaps throughout the game, Team USA has much to be hopeful for.

Can Team USA sustain consistency with so much talent?

With the array of talent on Team USA,?it can be a challenge?to balance the offense overall.?LeBron James and Steph Curry can lead the team to help put the US at the top of the basketball world once more.?

Coming off the?bench?Anthony Edwards showed no fear in his first exhibition against Canada.?Edwards's?ability to break down his opponents off the dribble gives him an advantage.?

The second unit featured Anthony Davis and Jayson Tatum?who?were dominant forces that provided a rhythm on offense. Joel Embiid struggled to see the floor much with?5?fouls.

The road ahead.

For Team USA to keep the ball rolling as they approach the Olympics, it will focus on being a?strong defensive-minded team. Implementing Jrue Holiday into the starting lineup caused issues for?Canada’s?premier guards?Jamal?Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.?

If the Americans can stay defensively sound?it?will create fast break opportunities that will be hard for teams to stop.?With the?vast amount of talent on the perimeter for Team?USA?it?will allow for?great?transition scoring opportunities.?

The US will be traveling to Abu Dhabi next to take on Australia on July 15th as part of the USA Basketball Showcase.?