Team USA opens USA Basketball Showcase vs. Canada

Posted by Admin July 10, 2024 Basketball

This article was pulled from our Starting 5 Newsletter, a daily look at all things NBA. To get the newsletter in your inbox every morning, subscribe here.

A North American showdown between the United States and Canada tips off the USA Basketball Showcase – five exhibition games to be played over two weeks in preparation for the 2024 Olympics in Paris – tonight in Las Vegas (10:30 ET, FS1).

Team USA and Team Canada last met exactly 10 months ago, in the bronze medal game of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Canada prevailed in an overtime thriller.

SGA and Brooks: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillon Brooks combined for 70 points to lead Team Canada to the win
Bridges Miracle Shot: Mikal Bridges forced OT by intentionally missing a free throw, grabbing his own rebound, taking one dribble to get to the corner and knocking down a fadeaway 3.
History for Canada: The Canadians earned their first-ever medal in the World Cup, and their first medal in a major international basketball competition since the 1936 Olympics

With Team USA preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics, who seems ready to emerge as the starting group for the Red, White & Blue?

The Rosters: Team Canada will return most of its World Cup team for the Olympics – with notable additions of Jamal Murray, Trey Lyles and Andrew Nembhard. Canada brings the most current NBA players (10) of any country outside the US to the Olympics.

Conversely, Team USA only returns two players from its World Cup team – Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton – while adding 10 NBA All-Stars headlined by four former league MVPs in LeBron James (4x), Steph Curry (2x), Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid.

All-NBA First Team: Both teams tout one member of the 2023-24 All-NBA First Team – SGA for Canada and Jayson Tatum for the US – but Team USA holds a 9-1 edge among all three All-NBA Teams
All-NBA Second & Third Teams: Team USA added four players from both the All-NBA Second Team (Anthony Davis, Durant, Edwards, Kawhi Leonard) and Third Team (Devin Booker, Curry, Haliburton, LeBron)
Durant Out: KD – Team USA’s all-time leading scorer in the Olympics – has been ruled out due to calf soreness that has limited him during training camp in Las Vegas

Early Test: With NBA talent and a higher level of team continuity, Canada provides a strong test for Team USA as the Americans take the court for the first time as a unit this summer.