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Anthony Edwards in closing lineup as Team USA holds off South Sudan in thriller

The USA very nearly lost to South Sudan, which put forth an incredible effort on Saturday.
Will Ragatz|
Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; USA guard Anthony Edwards (5) shoots over Canada guard Andrew Nembhard (19) in the second quarter of the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Mobile Arena.
Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; USA guard Anthony Edwards (5) shoots over Canada guard Andrew Nembhard (19) in the second quarter of the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Mobile Arena.

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Minnesota Timberwolves

The USA men's basketball team very nearly lost to South Sudan in an exhibition contest on Saturday in London. The U.S. trailed by 14 at halftime and escaped with a 101-100 victory when South Sudan failed to score in the game's final seconds. It was an incredible effort from the youngest nation in the world, which gave a loaded USA team all it could handle.

Anthony Edwards came off the bench for the third time in four USA Basketball Showcase games, with Devin Booker and Jrue Holiday starting alongside Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid (Kevin Durant is recovering from an injury). However, Edwards played 21 minutes — tied for third-most on the team — and was in the closing lineup for the United States. That's a sign that head coach Steve Kerr values Edwards' two-way abilities when it matters most.

This wasn't Edwards' best game; after averaging a team-best 14.3 points over the first three games, the Timberwolves' star had 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting against South Sudan. He went 1 of 7 on three-points attempts, adding a steal and a block defensively. One of Edwards' buckets was an emphatic baseline slam off of a dish from Anthony Davis.

LeBron James led the USA with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and the game-winning layup. Davis had 15 points and 11 boards. For South Sudan, Marial Shayok scored 25 points and Carlik Jones had a triple-double.

The USA will play one final exhibition game against Germany on Monday (2 p.m CT) before heading to Paris for the Olympics. Serbia, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico are the other three teams in their group.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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