RIO DE JANEIRO _ 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.
