He’s not going to sweat a slow start against Venezuela at the Olympics, he’s not going to fret about the foul trouble Cousins and DeAndre Jordan endured against the Venezuelans and presume that even bigger problems on that front loom Wednesday night against Australia, and he’s most certainly not going to listen to the naysayers who say he’s a better player in FIBA competitions than the National Basketball Association.
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Krzyzewski, who plans to step down as Team USA’s coach after these games end, was asked by a French reporter about his team’s living quarters following a 113-69 win over Venezuela on Monday (Tuesday, Manila time). Or is it just a coaching staff prodding a team that started off against Venezuela tied after the first quarter before blowing them out in the second quarter?
The fairy tale faded quickly as the U.S. outscored Venezuela 30-8 in the second quarter for a 48-26 half-time edge.
And with three minutes to go, Paul George delivered what the fans had been waiting more of two games to see from the Americans: A breakaway tomahawk dunk delivered with tremendous force. They did just that in the second quarter of play, putting their feet firmly on the gas pedal and powering through with a 24-4 run that blew the game open, never looking back. Live streaming for the game will be available though on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app, both of which can be accessed using a cable or satellite subscription.
George led a balanced U.S. scoring effort with 20 points, going six-for-seven from the field.
Team USA followed their opening rout of China with a 44 point victory over Venezuela. John Cox, cousin of Kobe Bryant, led Venezuela with 19 points. San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills was the top scorer, finishing with 26 points.
Team USA is expected to win over Team China by 30+ points.
Team USA will look to avoid a similar start on Wednesday when they continue the preliminary round against Australia. After a two-point field goal from Venezuela to stop the onslaught at 33-24, Team USA finishes the half with a 15-2 burst to lead by twenty-two points at 48-26. The Australian team features players like Andrew Bogut and Matthew Dellavedova, players who are capable of slowing down games and playing gritty, physical basketball.
USA National Men’s volleyball team loses its first game while Brazil, Poland, and Russian Federation win, on the first day of Men’s Volleyball tournament of.
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There’s a lot of room for error when five players score in double figures and everyone on the roster but Klay Thompson scored.
