Things got close late but Team USA held off a late rally from Australia to move to 2-0 in Olympic exhibition play.
Team USA led by as many as 24 points in the second half but the Boomers clawed back, cutting the deficit to as little as four points late in the game. Australia should be encouraged by its resolve while Team USA’s 18 turnovers spell a troubling trend.
Anthony Davis led the way for the Americans, finishing with 17 points and 14 rebounds in 18 minutes of action. His presence proved to be the difference, as did big shot-making from Tyrese Haliburton, who sank two late 3s to stave off some of Australia’s momentum.
For Australia, Jock Landale led the way with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Josh Giddey scored 17 points to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists in the game.
If you missed the action, The Sporting News tracked live score updates and highlights from throughout the exhibition game.
STREAM: Watch USA Basketball Showcase games live with Fubo (U.S. only free trial)
USA vs. Australia basketball score
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
USA | 32 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 98 |
Australia | 21 | 16 | 26 | 31 | 92 |
USA vs. Australia updates, highlights from 2024 Olympic men’s basketball exhibition game
(All times Eastern.)
Final: USA 98, Australia 92
2:05 p.m.: It’s a wrap in Abu Dhabi.
Team USA survives a late rally to earn a six-point win over Australia. The Boomers’ effort warrants most of the credit, but Team USA will surely look in the mirror in hopes of cleaning up some of the things that allowed the comeback.
With the Olympics less than two weeks away, Team USA doesn’t have too much time to figure things out.
2:01 p.m.: Team USA will look to clean up its act after committing 18 turnovers in this one and they’re still not completely out of the woods.
An and-one from Jock Landale cuts the deficit to four points with 8.3 seconds remaining.
USA 94, Australia 90
1:57 p.m.: After Team USA extended a possession with a crucial offensive board, Devin Booker might have iced things with a mid-range jumper.
Booker’s got 12 points on seven shots and Team USA will survive a late rally from the Boomers. The Americans lead by nine points with 31 seconds remaining.
USA 94, Australia 85
1:50 p.m.: Tyrese Haliburton has stepped up in a major way!
The Pacers All-NBA guard has knocked down back-to-back 3s to push Team USA back out by double digits. Haliburton was scoreless before his big treys. With 2:19 remaining, Team USA leads by 11.
BALL MOVEMENT » CORNER 3
🇺🇸 #USABMNT x 📺 @FS1 pic.twitter.com/fr0F8SSvKR
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 15, 2024
We promise this is a different Tyrese corner 3.
🇺🇸 #USABMNT x 📺 @FS1 pic.twitter.com/H4jgIa6jLA
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 15, 2024
USA 92, Australia 81
1:46 p.m.: And now the deficit has been cut to six!
Dyson Daniels gets out in transition and Australia again takes advantage of a USA turnover to chip away. After trailing by as many as 24 points in the half, Australia has made it a two-possession game with five minutes remaining.
USA 86, Australia 80
1:43 p.m.: The Boomers won’t go away.
Josh Giddey gets the hoop and the harm to cut the deficit to 12 points. After converting the and-one, Australia trails by 11 with 6:39 remaining in the game.
Josh Giddey cuts the lead for Australia!
🇺🇸 vs. 🇦🇺 live on FS1 pic.twitter.com/WGzziNE19r
— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2024
USA 86, Australia 75
End of third quarter: USA 76, Australia 61
1:32 p.m.: Team USA has responded to the run but the Boomers are still within reasonable striking distance.
Team USA has a 14-point lead with under a minute remaining in the third frame. A foul committed on Anthony Davis is under review as an unsportsmanlike foul.
USA 75, Australia 61
1:26 p.m.: Make it a 10-0 run for the Boomers.
Some sloppy play from Team USA has opened the door back up for Australia, which has taken advantage to cut the deficit to 12 points.
USA 67, Australia 55
1:20 p.m.: There’s another timeout on the floor with 6:22 remaining in the third frame. Team USA maintains a 20-point lead.
The starters are checking back in after a strong stint from the second unit to open the half. With the USA pulling away, it’s unclear how many more rotations head coach Steve Kerr will go with.
USA 67, Australia 47
1:14 p.m.: Team USA’s second unit is bringing the juice to start the second half and they’ve opened up a 23-point lead. Devin Booker’s now in double digits with 10 points and Anthony Davis has eight points and seven rebounds in nine minutes.
That’s tuff, AD! 😤
🇺🇸 #USABMNT x 📺 @FS1 pic.twitter.com/Kdu3eJz7up
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 15, 2024
There’s a timeout on the floor just three minutes into the half.
USA 64, Australia 41
1:10 p.m.: As the second half gets underway, Team USA is going with its second unit of Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis to start.
A different look from the starting unit in the game.
Halftime: USA 53, Australia 37
12:56 p.m.: One half is in the books and Team USA has a 16-point lead. The scoring slowed down a bit in the second frame but the Americans are still on pace to score over 100 points in the 40-minute exhibition.
Through one half, Australia’s Jock Landale leads all scorers with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. Josh Giddey has seven points, seven rebounds and three assists in 16 minutes.
Team USA is led by 11 points from Anthony Edwards, LeBron James has added eight points and Joel Embiid has chipped in with seven.
One of the biggest differences so far? 3-point shooting. Team USA is 8 of 19 (42.1 percent) from long range while Australia is just 2 of 11 (18.2 percent).
12:50 p.m.: With under a minute remaining in the half, Team USA’s lead has ballooned to 18 points.
Jayson Tatum has gotten going in the second quarter as he’s up to four points after a pair of jams.
JAYSON TATUM POSTER SLAM 💥@usabasketball vs. @BasketballAus on FS1 pic.twitter.com/N34uMS9spJ
— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2024
After a loud first quarter, Anthony Edwards has yet to score in the second but he has a game-high-tying 11 points.
Australia is led by 11 points from Jock Landale while Josh Giddey is showing flashes. The newest Bulls guard’s got seven points, six boards and two assists in the first half.
USA 53, Australia 35
12:43 p.m.: Watch out!
LeBron James gets going in transition and draws a foul on Josh Giddey.
After knocking down a pair of free throws, James is up to eight points in the first half and USA’s lead is 14 points with four minutes remaining in the half.
USA 44, Australia 30
12:36 p.m.: Just over a minute into the second frame, we’ve got another timeout on the floor. Team USA leads by 12.
The Americans are still rolling with their second unit to open the second quarter.
USA 35, Australia 23
End of first quarter: USA 32, Australia 21
12:29 p.m.: One quarter is in the books and Team USA has an 11-point lead.
It’s been an impressive offensive showing from the Americans, who are 9 of 16 (56.3 percent) from the field, 6 of 10 (60.0 percent) from 3-point range and a perfect 8 of 8 from the charity stripe.
Australia, on the other hand, is shooting 9 of 25 (36.0 percent) from the field and 2 of 7 (28.6 percent) from 3-point range.
Anthony Edwards leads all scorers with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting while LeBron James has six points. Australia is led by seven points from Jock Landale.
12:28 p.m.: Early foul trouble for the Boomers. Jock Landale has picked up two early fouls, which is something to monitor as this one goes on.
Considering the strength of Team USA’s frontcourt, Landale’s availability is key in this one.
12:22 p.m.: We’ve got another timeout on the floor.
After the first break, Team USA rolled out a new five and Australia responded with a quick run to tie things up. Team USA leads by two points as the first frame winds down.
USA 21, Australia 19
12:15 p.m.: It’s been all Anthony Edwards for Team USA early on.
Edwards is a perfect 4 of 4 from the field, including 3 of 3 from 3-point range. He’s got 11 points in under six minutes of action. Team USA has a six-point lead at the first break in action. 4:29 remains in the first frame.
ANT JUST DID THAT. 😮💨
🇺🇸 #USABMNT x 📺 @FS1 pic.twitter.com/uSweeqes6X
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 15, 2024
USA 19, Australia 13
12:10 p.m.: It is raining 3s at Etihad Arena.
Anthony Edwards and LeBron James have each drained a pair of 3s while Jock Landale and Dyson Daniels have each hit a 3-pointer for Australia.
The King gets us started.
🇺🇸 #USABMNT x 📺 @FS1 pic.twitter.com/iG1nu8qyiV
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 15, 2024
USA and Australia are a combined 6 of 7 from deep less than four minutes into the game.
12:08 p.m.: After a brief struggle in the interior, Jock Landale gets a second-chance opportunity to go and Australia on the board first. The action is officially underway in Abu Dhabi.
Pregame
11:50 a.m.: A new starting five for Team USA: Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James and Joel Embiid get the start against Australia.
Starting for Australia: Patty Mills, Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Nick Kay and Jock Landale.
11:30 a.m.: Pregame preparations. Stephen Curry looks ready to roll as tipoff nears.
Abu Dhabi, meet Stephen Curry!
#4 and USA face off against Australia in the USA Basketball Showcase at 12:00pm/et on FS1! pic.twitter.com/r9QCqCOw1z
— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2024
10:35 a.m.: The stage is set and tip-off is nearing. The Americans will don their navy blue uniforms for Monday’s exhibition.
📍 Etihad Arena
🇺🇸 #USABMNT vs 🇦🇺 @BasketballAus
🕛 8 pm GST/12 pm ET
📺 FS1 pic.twitter.com/FGyGo7OmaM— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 15, 2024
5:30 a.m.: Derrick White is in tow and Team USA is preparing for its second exhibition game. Tip-off is just over six hours away.
Dialing it in on gameday.
🔜 🇺🇸⚔️🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/4CvrKLSHXM
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 15, 2024
1 a.m.: Team USA’s Kevin Durant remains out with a calf injury. It is unclear when he will be able to get back on the floor ahead of the Olympics.
What channel is USA vs. Australia on today?
- Start time: 12 p.m. ET (2 a.m. AEST)
- TV channel (U.S.): Fox Sports 1
- TV channel (Australia): ESPN
The U.S. Olympic men’s basketball exhibition game against Australia will be broadcast nationally on Fox Sports 1 from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Viewers in Australia can watch on ESPN.
MORE: It’s clear why Team USA picked Derrick White to replace Kawhi Leonard
How to watch USA Basketball before Olympics
Team USA’s men’s basketball exhibition games will be broadcast live on Fox’s family of networks.
The United States National Team is in Abu Dhabi for two exhibition games against Australia and Serbia. They’ll travel to London for two exhibition games before finally heading to Paris for the Olympics.
You can stream Team USA games online with fuboTV, which offers a free seven-day trial.
Date | Game/Result | Time (ET) | TV channel |
July 10 | USA 86, Canada 72 | — | — |
July 15 | USA vs. Australia | 12 p.m. | FS1 |
July 17 | USA vs. Serbia | 12 p.m. | FS1 |
July 20 | USA vs. South Sudan | 3 p.m. | FOX |
July 22 | USA vs. Germany | 3 p.m. | FOX |
MORE: How worried should Team USA be about Joel Embiid’s debut?
When do the Olympics start?
The opening ceremony at the 2024 Olympics is July 26. The men’s basketball tournament tips off the next day on July 27 and ends with the medal games on Aug. 10.
Team USA is one of 12 teams to qualify for the Paris Olympics. It will play in Group C with Serbia, South Sudan and Puerto Rico.
Date | Game | Time (ET) | TV Channel |
July 28 | USA vs. Serbia | 11:15 a.m. | NBC |
July 31 | USA vs. South Sudan | 3 p.m. | NBC |
Aug. 3 | USA vs. Puerto Rico | 11:15 a.m. | NBC |
Aug. 6 | Men’s basketball quarterfinals | TBD | |
Aug. 8 | Men’s basketball semifinals | TBD | |
Aug. 10 | Men’s basketball gold-medal game | TBD | |
Aug. 10 | Men’s basketball bronze-medal game | TBD |