USA vs CHINA Game 2: Friendly International Basketball 2016 Latest Updates
With Team USA and China meeting in the second installment of their back-to-back basketball exhibition game on Tuesday at Oracle Arena in Oakland, questions were raised if the squad can keep up their momentum and sweep the pre-Olympic winning streak.
To recall, Team USA managed to dispatch Team China in Sunday's match with a 106-57 win. Although missing two big names who didn't played well, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George, the squad still ran away with easy baskets. Anthony finished five points with eight rebounds and five assists, a 2-of-9 performance from the perimeter. George also scored just five points in 1-of-6 shooting.
The key to the run-away win was Klay Thompson's stellar performance with 17 points during a 19-minute gameplay. Kevin Durant had good shots too, leading all scorers with his 19 points in 18 minutes. DeMarcus Cousins also played a key role with 12 points in 18 minutes.
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Meanwhile, China will still rely on the former NBA player Yi Jianlian and two of 2016's NBA draft picks Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin this Tuesday to avenge the earlier defeat.
Team USA vs. Team China will be televised by NBA TV and will be available to watch online on the USA Basketball Facebook feed.
Tickets for the USA Basketball Showcase presented by Verizon at Oracle Arena are on sale now at StubHub, costing $3,000 for the best courtside VIP seats. The cheapest sells for a little less than $100 for the standing-room-only upper decks.
Tuesday's matchup is the third among five scheduled exhibition games for Team USA, the first being a 111-74 victory over Argentina in Las Vegas on Friday. Durant also led the way in this matchup against Manu Ginobili's Team Argentina with 23 points, while Paul George added 18 points from off the bench. DeMarcus Cousins grabbed 15 rebounds to go with his 14 points in just 16 minutes in the win.
The U.S. team also has exhibitions scheduled against Venezuela on July 29 at United Center in Chicago and on Aug. 1 against Nigeria at Toyota Center in Houston.
Meanwhile, Olympic play begins on Saturday, Aug. 6, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ironically, USA, Venezuela and China are in Group A, so these tune-ups serve as an indicator of potential results come next week. The other protagonist, Team Argentina, will hail from Group B together with the other friendly games participant, Nigeria.
