USA team is gunning for their third straight Olympic basketball gold medal, wrapped up their pre-Summer Games exhibition series with a dominating 110-66 win over world number 25 Nigeria on Monday night.
The Americans’ buildup to the Rio de Janeiro Games included five straight exhibition wins, but just one came against an opponent ranked in the top 10 in the world. They easily beat No. 4 Argentina, No. 14 China twice and rolled over No. 22 Venezuela by 35 points.
“We played good defense and it led to some fast breaks,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “Our team is very deep. The most versatile team we have had.”
Despite the absence of NBA stars LeBron James and Stephen Curry, Krzyzewski’s squad is favored to win a third consecutive gold.
A half-dozen Americans finished in double figures Monday, including Carmelo Anthony, who tallied a team high 19 points.
