US falls to Nigeria 90−87 in pre-olympic opener
LAS VEGAS: This is not how USA Basketball expected to open their Olympic summer. Nigeria probably didn’t expect it, either.
If there was any expectation of invincibility for the Americans heading into the Tokyo Olympics, it’s already gone - ater Nigeria beat the US 9087 on Saturday night, an international shocker pulled off by a roster primarily filled by litle-known NBA players that found a way to beat a group of ALL-NBA, All-star and max-contract performers.
“We just wanted to compete,” said Nigeria’s Gabe Nnamdi, who goes by Gabe Vincent when playing for the Miami Heat. “We know what US Basketball means around the world and what they’ve stood for so long.”
The US had lost 11 games before Saturday in major international play - Olympics and World Cups, mostly - since NBA players began filling the American rosters with the first Dream Team in 1992. None of those losses came against a team from Africa.
“I thought that the Nigerian team played very physically, did a great job in that regard and knocked down a lot of 3s,” US coach Gregg Popovich said. “Give them credit.”
Nnamdi led Nigeria with 21 points. Caleb Agada scored 17 points, Ike Nwamu added 13 and Nigeria outscored the U.S. 60-30 from 3-point range.
Kevin Durant, who had never before played in a loss for US Basketball in 39 senior international games, had 17 points. Jayson Tatum added 15, Damian Lillard had 14 and Bam Adebayo 11.
“Just goes to show that we have to play better,” Tatum said.
A lot beter.
The Americans had gone 39-0 in their last three Olympic seasons - including pre-olympic exhibitions - on their way to gold medals and had been 54-2 in major exhibitions since NBA players began playing for USA Basketball in 1992. Plus, they’d beaten Nigeria by a combined 127 points in their last two meetings, one at the 2012 London Games, the other a warm-up for the 2016 Rio Games.
Nigeria lost to the US at the 2012 Olympics by 83 points. Lost to the Americans again four years later in an exhibition, that time by 44 points. Not this time.
“Nigeria’s come a long way with their basketball,” US Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said.
Ike Iroegbu - a former Washington State player who some time in the G League - hit a 3-pointer with about 1:15 let to put Nigeria up 88-80. Durant scored the next seven points for the US; a 3-pointer, two free throws following a turnover, then two more from the line with 16.5 seconds remaining.