In a pre-Olympic showcase held in Abu Dhabi on Monday, the USA defeated Australia 98-92 despite a valiant effort.

After Team USA went cold for seven minutes on the shooting end, Patty Mills made a three-pointer from the left wing to bring the Boomers within six, 86-80. But Tyrese Haliburton made corner threes on two consecutive possessions to give Australia a 92-80 lead that all but iced the game after Australia missed a three and two point-blank attempts to narrow the margin further.Jock Landale, who finished with 20 points and seven offensive rebounds, was Australia’s best player.

After halftime, USA coach Steve Kerr changed up his starting lineup, and although Australia played hard and scored baskets in the paint, they were unable to stop Team USA’s big men. With 17 points and seven rebounds, Anthony Davis assisted the United States in overcoming a lackluster second half. Despite eighteen turnovers and empty possessions, the US struggled with self-inflicted wounds. In their exhibition win against Canada last week, the US also committed 15 turnovers.

We started turning the ball over in the third quarter, according to Kerr. We forfeited a great deal of points at the hoop. With back cutters and offensive boards, the game changed. We can learn a lot from it. Now is the better time to learn that lesson. And seeing this tape will be enjoyable for us. However, I think Australia is fantastic. They were excellent. They clashed. They were rather corporeal. made it a game in the final quarter and a half by taking it to us.

The US’s “second unit,” which included Davis, Jrue Holiday, Bam Adebayo, Haliburton, and Devin Booker, altered the outcome of the game, just like it did in the Canada game. That was the team on the court when, with 3:15 remaining in the first quarter, the Americans knotted the game at 19-19 then went on a 20-4 run in five minutes to take a 39-23 advantage.

For the first time in the second half, Kerr started the game with that lineup. However, it’s already becoming evident that when the US uses their bench to replace All-Stars with other All-Stars, it poses a serious threat to opponents with far less depth.

“We must make use of our depth, which is our team’s strength,” Kerr remarked.

While Dyson Daniels (14 points), Will Magnay (eight points)—the first big man utilized off the bench—and Jack McVeigh (nine points) had an impact off the bench, Josh Giddey (17 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists) led the Boomers with assurance.

Patty Mills (five points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals) and Nick Kay, who is stationed in Japan, were among the starting lineup along with Giddey and Daniels. The talisman’s frigid shooting form persisted, though, as Mills only made two of his eight efforts in 22 minutes.

Regarding the current Olympic bronze medalists, Australia’s coach Brian Goorjian remarked, “The exciting part was we got better as the game went on.” For now, I have to persuade my group on “how do you win.”

“Our defense allowed us to return with the playing style we had in mind. The grit returned in the second half, when we resumed our bump and grind and managed the game’s tempo.

Serbia and the United States, who are in the same Olympic pool as Paris, square off in the second match of the Abu Dhabi showcase on Wednesday. The United States has two more exhibition games in London before the Olympics. In addition, Australia will play Serbia, led by Nikola Jokic, before traveling to France on July 27 to begin their Olympic campaign against Spain.