James inspires USA to win against Germany in London
LeBron James scored 20 points for the United States as they beat Germany 92-88 in their final warm-up match before the Olympic Games.
The 39-year-old produced 11 points of his game-high tally in the final four minutes as the USA survived a tough test at a sold-out O2 Arena in London.
Germany led 71-68 at the end of the third quarter before James inspired the United States to victory.
He sank a three-pointer with one minute 26 seconds remaining to put the USA 90-86 up, then added two more points to give them a 92-86 lead on the way to the win.
Joel Embiid scored 15 points and Stephen Curry 13 against Germany in a victory which means the United States have won all five of their pre-Olympic exhibition games.
“It was a good test for us. And I’m glad we were able to once again keep our composure, persevere like we did the other day versus South Sudan,” said James, who will be a flagbearer for Team USA at Friday’s Olympic Games opening ceremony.
The USA are targeting a fifth consecutive men’s basketball gold medal at this summer’s Olympics in Paris, with their 12-man squad filled with some of the NBA’s greatest talents.
“Now it’s obviously a matter of showing up when the lights are bright next week,” Curry said.
“I think we’re ready. I think we’re prepared. Now we have to perform.”
They begin their Olympics campaign against Serbia (28 July), before facing South Sudan (31 July) and Puerto Rico (3 August).
Flagbearer James carried team too – Analysis
Despite winning both exhibition games in London, Team USA have work to do.
World champions Germany made a statement by forcing the US into unnecessary turnovers, regaining possession and punishing them for it.
This lack of focus will undoubtedly frustrate the coaches, despite some defensive improvements in other coverages seen from the game against South Sudan.
But does any of that matter if you have LeBron James on your team?
He’ll be carrying the US flag on Friday, but against Germany he carried the entire team when needed.
At 39, James lit up the O2 Arena, igniting the crowd with an opening dunk that set the tone for the night.
Down the stretch, as he did against South Sudan, James took over.
Team USA’s final 11 points were all courtesy of the four-time gold medallist, who ended the night with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Powering past German defenders to score in the paint and showcasing his finesse with a three-pointer as the clock hit two minutes, the British crowd erupted in applause for ‘the King.’
James has aged like the finest of wines, growing even more valuable with time.
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