Team USA, with Phoenix Suns stars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, looked predictably uneven in its first formal exhibition game Wednesday night against Canada, but cruised to an 86-72 victory.
Durant (calf strain) sat out, but Booker started and tied a team-high 20 minutes played, scoring nine points on 4-of-6 shooting (1-2 from 3-point range) with two rebounds and two assists.
Team USA has four NBA MVPs (LeBron James, Durant, Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid) and is the gold-medal favorite.
As for experience in the international game, the US has five players from its gold medal roster from the most recent Olympics in Tokyo.
The team continues its five-game traveling exhibition schedule on Monday, July 15, in Abu Dhabi. Team USA begins its Olympic competition in Paris on July 28.
Here’s how to watch their games:
USA Basketball Showcase
All times are Mountain Standard Time.
July 15: Australia (Abu Dhabi, UAE), 9 a.m., FS1
July 17: Serbia (Abu Dhabi, UAE), 9 a.m., FS1
July 20: South Sudan (London), noon, FOX
July 22: Germany (London), noon, FOX
2024 Paris Olympics
Team USA was placed in Group C for the four-team group phase, with the top two points winners advancing to the bracket stage. Team USA’s three-game group phase schedule is set:
July 28: Serbia (Lille, France), 8:15 a.m., NBC
July 31: South Sudan (Lille, France), noon, NBC
Aug. 3: Puerto Rico (Lille, France), 8:15 a.m., NBC
Olympic men’s basketball quarterfinals will be played in Paris on Aug. 5. Semifinals will follow two days later, on Aug. 7, and the final will be a featured event on Saturday, Aug. 10.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Team USA basketball’s Olympic exhibition game schedule, how to watch
