USA vs Australia Mens BBball 98-88 USA - USA - USA

U.S. men's basketball team holds off pesky Australia 98-88     


Andrew Bogut, Kyrie Irving
Charlie Neibergall / AP
United States' Kyrie Irving, left, shoots over Australia's Andrew Boguton Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. 
Chris Hine C[email=chine@chicagotribune.com?subject=Regarding:]ontact Reporter[/email] Olympic bureau
The U.S. men’s basketball team faced its first significant test of the Rio Olympics on Wednesday, but came away with a 98-88 victory over Australia.
The Americans trailed by five at halftime and were behind early in the fourth quarter when Carmelo Anthony, who is playing in his fourth Olympic games, put a U.S. roster of NBA All-Stars on his shoulders. Anthony finished with 31 points, including nine 3-pointers. At one point in the fourth quarter, Anthony scored 10 consecutive points.

The Australian team and its “Boomer” lineup, led by NBA players Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova, gave the U.S. fits with its motion offense and a 68 percent shooting performance in the first half. But the U.S. clamped down enough defensively in the second half to get by.
Mills had 30 points to lead Australia. Anthony helped lift an otherwise  lackluster offensive night for the U.S., which shot 39 percent.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/international/ct-rio-olympics-usa-australia-basketball-spt-20160810-story.html

98 points VS     88 points

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

THE USA must always be the favourites when entering the Olympics  ???

CONSIDERING that the USA "Dream Teams'" combined professional salaries&endorsements in the NBL is more than all the other teams' combined, it would be more of a surprise and upset whenever they lose a match, rather than winning yet another..  

HOW MANY other countries have beaten the USA at any stage in the past at the Olympics ?   Spain, Croatia, Russia, Australia..
The USA always has to be the favourite for the gold...