Anthony moved past LeBron James as the USA career leader in Olympic scoring and did it quickly, using a hot start to make up the 11-point advantage James had entering the game.
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Australia’s traditional lineups were no match for Anthony at stretch-four, as contesting his nine made shots from behind the three-point line proved to be too tough a cover for the lumbering Aron Baynes.
For the Boomers NBA star Patty Mills was phenomenal finishing with 30 points as big guns Andrew Bogut and Matthew Dellavedova stood up yet again although Bogut said he was disappointed by the result. While there were two other games on the docket, there’s no getting around the fact that the main event of the day’s action was Team USA playing. The lone loss, the one that Anthony talks about so often as the only remaining member of that squad, was the game against Greece in the 2006 World Championships in Japan that led to their bronze medal finish.
Mostly, though, they played like they belonged on the same court as the US players.
Carmelo Anthony breaks USA Basketball scoring record, saves team from Australia in nail-biter: Finding themselves in an unexpected dogfight against the Aussies, the Americans were rescued by their newly-crowned all-time leading scorer – Carmelo Anthony. Dellavedova (11 points and 11 assists) dictated an effective attack. It was the first time Team USA has trailed after the first half since 2004. Andrew Bogut delivered a hard foul to Kevin Durant on a drive that ruffled the Americans’ feathers.
The French led by 16 in the first quarter, then had to climb back from a 75-70 deficit by scoring the final six points of the game. After beating their first two opponents by an average of 52.5 points, the Serbians wouldn’t go away easily. In spite of this, news sites such as USA Today believe that Carmelo Anthony was the driving force behind the USA team that battled through the more physical style of play of the Australians. All of which contributed to the game, akin to a dogfight, being tied, 29-29, at the end of the first quarter. Lowry was really impressive in the first half, and it was surprising that they USA didn’t turn to him more in the second half, and chose to play Cavs guard Kyrie Irving instead.
“It got real”, Paul George said. Anthony had 14 points in the fourth quarter while Irving contributed 12. This test from Australia will strengthen the resolve of the Red, White and Blue!
U.S. Olympic scoring title in hand, Anthony was a force on offense all night long. In the second quarter against Team USA, Mills scored 11 points on just three shots in seven minutes, a mark of how efficient he’s been in his shot selection.
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In other Group A play, four-time National Basketball Association champion Tony Parker hit a game-winning jumper with 31 seconds remaining to give France a 76-75 victory over stubborn Serbia.
