The US now plays Serbia on Friday while Australia takes on China.
Thanks for following along with the liveblog. And well played Australia.
Updated
Australia shot 50% in the game to the USA’s 39%. The U.S. saved themselves from three, making 17 to Australia’s 7. Really, Carmelo alone from three saved the U.S.
If he hadn’t been hot, Australia would have won the game.
Updated
Final: USA 98-88 Australia
A very good basketball game. Australia was in it the whole way. The USA’s improved defense -- and the scoring of Carmelo Anthony and Kyrie Irving (who combined for more than half of the U.S. points) -- earned the victory. Australia entered the game as 29-point underdogs.
USA 96-88 Australia, 0:17 4th quarter
Irving hits two free throws after being fouled by former teammate Dellavedova. That should do it.
USA 94-88 Australia, 0:20 4th quarter
A wild Mills three from the corner is off the mark and the U.S. gets the ball. Australia is in a timeout. They’ll need the U.S. to miss free throws to have a chance.
USA 94-88 Australia, 0:27 4th quarter
Kyrie Irving only hits one free throw as Australia has begun to foul. No, the U.S. doesn’t have DeAndre Jordan in the game.
USA 93-88 Australia, 0:27 4th quarter
Australia’s inbounds play settled for a turn-around jumper from Ingles. He missed.
That can’t be what they drew up.
Thirty-six seconds left, Australia’s ball, trailing by five.
USA 93-88 Australia, 0:51 4th quarter
Carmelo and Kyrie Irving have scored all 23 points for the U.S. in the fourth quarter. That vaunted U.S. depth isn’t really showing in this game, huh?
USA 93-86 Australia, 1:25 4th quarter
After Australia scores, Irving buries a clutch three from the quarter. We saw that back in June. He’s pretty good at those kind of shots.
USA 90-84 Australia, 2:00 4th quarter
Australia is hanging in, but they’re past the point where they need to hang in. Two minutes left. Time to make a move.
USA 88-82 Australia, 2:40 4th quarter
Dellavedova gets it to two scores with a floating runner along the baseline.
USA 88-80 Australia, 3:32 4th quarter
Anthony. For three. Again.
He now has 31 points.
Updated
USA 85-80 Australia, 3:58 4th quarter
Patty Mills hits back-to-back baskets to keep Australia in striking distance. He’s played a nearly flawless offensive game tonight.
USA 83-76 Australia, 4:36 4th quarter
And ANOTHER three by Anthony. He has eight on the night and the U.S. has its biggest lead. Odd that Australia isn’t spending a timeout here.
USA 80-76 Australia, 5:53 4th quarter
Re: the last post ... maybe not. Dellavedova immediately answers to get it back to four.
Updated
USA 80-74 Australia, 6:05 4th quarter
A Kyrie Irving jumper gives the U.S. its biggest lead since 6-0. Is this finally the U.S. pulling away?
USA 78-74 Australia, 7:08 4th quarter
Two more threes from Carmelo in a big moment. He’s now got 25 points on the game. Again, Knicks fans have to wonder where this player is during the NBA season.
From an e-mailer in San Antonio ...
Hard not to root for Australia, both out of underdog fondness and loyalty to the San Antonio Spurs--go Patty!! Besides...a cruise ship, guys??
Australia 72-70 USA, 9:00 4th quarter
David Andersen drills a three to tie the game and Ingles then gives Australia the lead in the lane. The U.S. is losing in the fourth quarter!
End of the 3rd quarter: USA 70-67 Australia
Big improvement by the U.S. on defense in the third quarter giving up just 13 points. But they’re only up by three. Australia can win. To borrow a U.S. soccer chant: I believe that they can win.
USA 70-67 Australia, 0:30 3rd quarter
Big three-point play by Draymond Green driving down the lane and getting the foul. You don’t see a lot of continuation fouls in international play, but the U.S. got one there.
USA 67-67 Australia, 1:25 3rd quarter
Draymond Green just took a three that would have rattled in and counted in the NBA ... but the Aussies knocked it off the rim (legal in international play) and then DeAndre Jordan got whistled for a foul while going after the ball. Good sequence for Australia.
Play of Delly and the other Aussies is a reminder of what happens for some when you know you're not getting pulled if you screw up.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) August 10, 2016
USA 65-63 Australia, 3:44 3rd quarter
Durant hits two free throws to give the U.S. the lead. As this game rolls on, don’t overlook how big it was that the Aussies stopped the bleeding after the U.S. opened the half 9-0. Many other teams have folded when the U.S. gets rolling like that.
Australia 60-60 USA, 5:10 3rd quarter
Australia comes right back and ties the game on a deep jumper from Dellavedova. And now Cousins picks up his fourth foul.
Updated
USA 58-56 Australia, 7:15 3rd quarter
Mills ends the run with a beautiful bucket down the lane. He has been the best player on the court so far tonight. He now has 17 points, tied with Carmelo for the game’s high.
USA 58-54 Australia, 7:39 3rd quarter
The U.S. opens with a 9-0 run, leading to an Australia timeout. The last bucket of the run is a nice floater by Irving over Dellavedova. Maybe the Cavs made the right decision long-term at point guard.
Updated
Australia 54-54 USA, 8:40 3rd quarter
The U.S. quickly ties it up on a bucket from Cousins and a three from Durant. Durant was 2-for-10 in the first half. The U.S. should just be glad he didn’t apply for Australian citizenship during the break.
Second half underway!
Let’s see if the U.S. rediscovered their talent in the locker room.
Updated
I was knocking Australia’s bench, saying they couldn’t compete with the USA’s depth. And over the long run, they can’t. But through the first half, Australia’s bench is outscoring the U.S. bench, 16-15.
From e-mailer David Lobina ...
What do we need to do so that commentators pronounce Dellavedova’s name correctly - i.e., as an Italian would? The stress should be on the VE of DellaVEdova, not on DO as most people seem to believe.
I don’t know what we have to do. I just hope I’m saying “Delly” right.
If the U.S. loses, they should be evicted from their fancy yacht and forced to bunk with everyone else in the Athletes’ Village.
Dellavedova is playing great.
Delly has a 23/1 Assist to TO ratio. A good point guard is like a collared shirt and khaki pants: always in style.
— Captain Coach Kwas (@BabeKwas) August 10, 2016
Wow.
German announcer just compared Delly + Bogut to Stockton + Malone .......... pic.twitter.com/e3QJLmeGVD
— NykeFaller (@NykeFaller) August 10, 2016
Okay. Not quite that great.
The Americans are trailing at halftime of an Olympics men’s basketball game for the first time since 2004.
The U.S. only managed bronze in the 2004 Games.
Halftime: Australia 54-49 USA
The U.S. gave up 29 points in the first quarter and then 25 more in the second. They have a lot to work on. More than can be fixed over a halftime. Team USA’s depth will obviously be a big factor as the game drags on, but Australia has to like absolutely everything about this game so far.
Australia 52-49 USA, 0:53 2nd quarter
There’s Carmelo Anthony’s fifth(!) three of the half. If it wasn’t for him, the U.S. would be getting destroyed. It remains so weird how International Carmelo has such a different aura than Knicks Carmelo.
Australia 48-43 USA, 2:17 2nd quarter
David Andersen now has 10 points for Australia. He’s a former 2nd Round pick by the Atlanta Hawks who didn’t make the team. Maybe they should find his phone number again.
Australia 46-39, 3:30 2nd quarter
If you didn’t know anything about these teams or the players entering this game, you’d guess Australia is the “Dream Team.” Their offense is better, their defense is better, they’re ... better. So far.
Looooong way to go. But this is much more of a test than the USA expected. If it was a real test, the U.S. would be failing.
Australia 44-39 USA, 4:44 2nd quarter
Australia is shooting 65% from the floor so far. But it’s not because they’ve stepped in something and are just hot. Many of their baskets have simply been wide-open shots.
Australia 41-36 USA, 5:37 2nd quarter
Nifty bucket by Patty Mills extends Australia’s lead to five. If the USA’s defense doesn’t give them enough to work on, their offense is looking out of sync in the second quarter, too.
Matthew McConaughey watching #USABasketball #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/rZmgFWq1Um
— Karlo Lacković (@karlolac) August 10, 2016
The U.S. is not playing alright, alright, alright.
(Sorry.)
Australia 38-36 USA, 6:12 2nd quarter
David Andersen gives Australia the lead on a fall-away jumper, and then adds a free throw after getting fouled by Irving. Somehow Irving keeps getting left alone on the blocks with much larger players.
That’s now a 7-0 run for Australia. The U.S. defense is bordering on a disaster. Donald Trump would suggest they build a wall of defenders.
USA 36-31 Australia, 7:33 2nd quarter
Cousins is out again with his third foul, this one for a call far away from the basket. He’s not happy. Probably because of the foul, but possibly because he plays for Sacramento.
USA 32-31 Australia, 9:00 2nd quarter
Durant opens the quarter with a three and Australia answers back with an easy lay-in by Mills, left wide open on a backdoor cut. The U.S. defense hasn’t been fixed yet.
THAT's Luc Longley now??? #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/HQAKr1xywz
— Brenaldo (@SaintBrendan) August 10, 2016
Luc Longley is now an assistant coach for Australia and he looks very chill. He also somehow looks younger than he did when he played for the Chicago Bulls twenty years ago.
End of the 1st quarter: We’re tied at 29-29
We’re on pace for a very high-scoring game. USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski won’t be happy with his team giving up 29 points in the first quarter.
It will be interesting to see if Australia can make a push when their starters all get back in together. They looked great together. But the reserves just can’t compete with the U.S.
Australia will need to make runs with their starters and then have the backups just try to hold down the fort while the starters rest.
Updated
USA 29-27 Australia, 1:07 1st quarter
Kyle Lowry scores after an Australia turnover and then Carmelo hits (another) three. USA now has the lead.
Australia was in the lead thanks to their starters, but there’s a huge drop-off with their bench. No other country is even close to matching USA’s depth.
Australia 25-21 USA, 2:15 1st quarter
DeAndre Jordan gets fouled while trying to throw down a dunk. His teammates all gave him a high-give. Apparently they’ve never seen him shoot free throws before.
Jordan hits 1-of-2, above his average.
Updated
Australia 25-20 USA, 3:00 1st quarter
Klay Thompson hits a three after Bogut sent a Kyle Lowry shot deep into the stands. That’s Thompson’s first three of the tournament.
Australia 24-17 USA, 3:48 1st quarter
Bogut again in the lane -- and with his jersey in his mouth. Things are so easy right now for Australia that they’re finding time to eat during the game.
Australia 20-17 USA, 4:20 1st quarter
Bogut, on a feed from Dellavedova, hits a nice left hook from the left low-block over Irving. That’s not a match-up Team USA is going to want too often.
Australia 18-15, 5:44 1st quarter
Back-to-back threes by the U.S. gets answered right back with a nice floater from Dellavedova. Get excited, Milwaukee! Then Mills hits a three. Australia stays in the lead.
Australia 13-9 USA, 7:20 1st quarter
Baynes hits two free throws after drawing a foul from Cousins. Cousins has two fouls and is out of the game already. In the USA’s last game, Cousins fouled out. He does not want to leave any fouls in Brazil, apparently.
Australia 10-9 USA, 7:30 1st quarter
Patty Mills hits a pull-up three to give Australia the lead. Paul George then got T’d up for getting into a tiff with Dellavedova. Delly is doing Delly things and somehow the U.S. immediately gets caught up in it.
USA 9-5 Australia, 8:20 1st quarter
Joe Ingles got five quick points on a three and a breakaway dunk, but then Carmelo hit another three. He’s on pace for ... a lot of threes.
USA 6-0 Australia, 8:59 1st quarter
Annnnnnnd ... the same thing just happened. Cousins tipped a miss out to Anthony who knocked down the three.
USA 3-0 Australia, 9:38 1st quarter
Carmelo Anthony opens the scoring with a three after DeMarcus Cousins tipped a rebound to him off of a Paul George miss.
Tip-off!
Klay Thompson is not starting for the first time in the Olympics. Through two games, he has 2 points and is 1-for-11 from the field and 0-for-7 from three. Luckily for the U.S., they have a few other good players that can help them weather Thompson’s slump.
My predictions for the game:
- USA will win
- Australia will cover the spread
- Australia will do a lot of yelling
Passionate #Aus pic.twitter.com/WJx9T0zg9K
— Patrick Mills (@Patty_Mills) August 9, 2016
Some very positive news from Rio’s basketball venue: the court has not turned green.
#Olympics briefing: green pool, silver Brits and golden Phelps. By @Claire_Phipps https://t.co/Ypx26GiPtR #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/ADSAQ93osj
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) August 10, 2016
Kyrie Irving said yesterday that he knows Dellavedova will give this game everything he has:
Delly’s gonna compete. That’s all he knows. I’m used to that already [from Cavaliers practices], so I don’t see it as him being feisty or him being a pest. He’s gonna do what Delly does.
Sometimes what “Delly does” borders on dirty play. Hopefully we won’t see that tonight. But it’s not like the Americans are pure and faultless either. If Dellavedova and Draymond Green get going, we could have an international incident on our hands.
Team USA won its first two games by a combined 101 points. Tonight, the Americans are 29-point favorites. And unfortunately for Australia, the points scored by Melbourne-born Kyrie Irving will count for the USA.
There are a lot of NBA players in tonight’s game.
For Team USA:
- everyone
For Team Australia:
- Aron Baynes (Pistons)
- Matthew Dellavedova (Bucks)
- Joe Ingles (Jazz)
- Patty Mills (Spurs)
- Andrew Bogut (Mavericks)
This will be Bogut’s first game against former teammates Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes, and Dellavedova’s time on the court with Kyrie Irving since the Cavaliers beat all of the aforementioned Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Don’t expect Australia’s players to be asking for autographs before the game. Here’s Australian center Andrew Bogut talking about playing against the latest incarnation of the “Dream Team”:
If we go out there and are we’re intimidated by them and trying to get our shoes signed before the game, and a signed jersey, then we’re in the wrong mind-set. [Facing the Americans is] the ultimate test. It’s the best team in the world, the best players in the world, so I think if we go out there with the right mind-set and compete with them, win or lose we’ll be happy with that.
Welcome to the liveblog for tonight’s USA-Australia men’s basketball game.
In regular season NBA games, certain match-ups have a “playoff atmosphere.” Olympic games can’t have that exactly. But this game, between the two teams that have looked the best through the opening games, definitely has a “medal round atmosphere.” If that’s a thing. We’ll pretend it’s a thing.
Please feel free to participate in the liveblog. You can e-mail me at dj.gallo.casual@theguardian.com or tweet me at @DJGalloEtc.
DJ will be here shortly. In the meantime, refresh your memory on how USA trounced Venezuela:
Shaking off a sluggish, sloppy start and maybe some Brazilian boredom, the Americans regrouped in the second quarter and romped over Venezuela 113-69 on Monday, taking another step toward a possible third straight gold medal.
Kevin Durant scored 16 points and Carmelo Anthony 14 for the US squad, which may have grown a touch overconfident following a 57-point blowout of China in its tournament opener.
The Americans were tied after one quarter, but turned up their defensive intensity, outscored Venezuela 30-8 in the second period and improved to 82-1 under coach Mike Krzyzewski.
It was similar to the meeting between the teams in July, when the US shot poorly and still won by 35 on their pre-Rio exhibition tour. Maybe this was a reminder that no team can be taken lightly — and there is little margin for error — once the Olympic flame is ignited.
