Team USA, which had four days of practice this week, played a very isolation-heavy game, as it was clear there wasn't much chemistry yet developed. But with players such as
Damian Lillard,
Kevin Durant and
Bradley Beal, it has some of the best isolation players in the world.
But all three were rusty and bothered by the opposition's size, combining to shoot 9-of-30. Durant finished with 15 points but made just two of his first 11 shots, as Nigeria built an eight-point lead with less than two minutes to play.
The Americans made a furious rally and twice had the ball with a chance to tie, but their execution was poor. After Team USA coach Gregg Popovich called his last timeout with 13 seconds to play, the ensuing possession was messy and resulted in no points.
Nigeria made a crushing 20 of 42 3-pointers, repeatedly passing its way through Team USA rotations in racking up 21 assists. Guard
Gabe Vincent, who plays for the
Miami Heat, made 6 of 8 3-pointers and finished with 21 points. Caleb Agada, who plays in the Israeli league, made three 3-pointers and finished with 17 points.
