Team USA beat Australia 102-86 in an exhibition game thanks to Kemba Walker, who led the Americans with a game-high 23 points while Myles Turner followed him with 15. The encounter took place at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, and it broke the Australian record for the highest-attended basketball game in history with 51,218. The soccer stadium was transformed into a basketball arena for two duels with Team USA.
USA just defeated Australia 102-86 in front of 50,000+ fans in Melbourne. Kemba Walker and Donovan Mitchell carrying a heavy offensive load. Still no sign of Marcus Smart. Slow-footed Aussies continue to struggle defensively. Boxscore: https://t.co/Xq7Tra5yFN
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) August 22, 2019
The Americans scored 13 unanswered points after Australia took the 45-44 lead early in the second half as Myles Turner, Harrison Barnes, and Donovan Mitchell all scored three-pointers to go up 57-45. Gregg Popovich’s side maintained a comfortable lead for the remainder of the game, and Mitchell was particularly pleased with the way his team responded in the second half.
“The way we bounced back in the second half shows the character of this team,” Mitchell said. “We played in front of 55,000 people — there’s going to be nerves, guys are going to be geeked up and ready to go. But once we settled down and started playing our basketball we were in good shape.”
The new Boston Celtics point guard switched to a higher gear after the half and scored 21 of his 23 points.
“I’m one of the leaders of this team, so it’s important for me to set that tone,” Walker said.
▪️ Kemba 23 pts
▪️ Mitchell 13 ptsTeam USA 🇺🇸 blasts through Australia behind its high-scoring duo 💪🏼 » https://t.co/RWYQxuSos1
(📸: @NBA) pic.twitter.com/RRxIvYQono
— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) August 22, 2019
On the other hand, Patty Mills and Chris Goulding scored 19 points apiece. Before the game started, Mills gave Popovich, his longtime coach in San Antonio, a big hug courtside. Patty was also impressed with the turnaround and the atmosphere on the stands.
“Everyone came out tonight,” Mills said. “Fans being able to show their full support, it’s really cool, really good to see and hopefully we keep this up for years to come.”
This win was the 78th straight in major international exhibitions and competition for the Americans, a run that began with the bronze-medal game of the 2006 world championships. In the meantime, Team USA won gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, the Olympics in 2008, 2012 and 2016, and the FIBA Americas tournament in 2007.
