Team USA got the best of Team Canada on Wednesday night in the teams’ exhibition match-up from Las Vegas, N.V. The Americans prevailed in a 14-point victory, 86-72.
Anthony Davis was impressive on both ends for the Americans, scoring 10 points while grabbing 11 rebounds, four blocks, two steals, and two assists. Davis was active all evening and exposed the one main weakness of the Canadian team, which is rebounding the basketball. Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry finished in double figures with 13 and 11 points.
Canada, who played reserve players Phil and Thomas Scrubb and Mfiondu Kabengele for most of the fourth quarter (the trio did not make the final roster but will travel for experience), struggled to get its main guys going. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was just 3-for-10 for 10 points, and Jamal Murray was just 2-for-8 for five points. Canada was led by R.J. Barrett’s 12. Dillon Brooks scored 10.
Kelly Olynyk (9 points) had a strong output for Canada, hitting outside shots and scoring inside, and Dwight Powell did a fair job on Joel Embiid, who picked up his fifth foul in the third quarter. Trey Lyles was another player who, like Gilgeous-Alexander and Murray, struggled for the Canadians, Lyles typically a knock-down shooter from the perimeter.
Canada shot just 34 percent to the United States’ 51 percent.
The United States plays two exhibition games in Abu Dhabi, against Australia and Serbia (July 15, July 17), and two more in London (July 20, July 22) against South Sudan and Germany.
Canada will play an exhibition game against France on July 19 in France.
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