After being upset by Team WNBA in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game over the weekend, Team USA bounced back with an 84-57 win over Germany on Tuesday in the final exhibition game before the 2024 Paris Olympics begin. The American women are chasing an eighth consecutive gold medal in France.
Less than a minute into the game, Diana Taurasi started the scoring with a 3-pointer that put the U.S. ahead for good. By the 1:55 mark of the first quarter, the Americans had built a double-digit advantage that they would maintain for the majority of the night. Though Germany hung around within striking distance until late the fourth quarter, they were never a serious threat.
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 23, 2024A'ONE.
This was by no means a vintage performance from Team USA, but it was more than enough to get the job done against an overmatched German team that will be making its Olympic debut later this month.
The big and athletic American defense smothered the Germans, who shot just 29.4% from the field and turned the ball over 17 times. Reigning WNBA Most Improved Player Satou Sabally, who has not played in the league this season due to a shoulder injury, looked particularly rusty en route to a 3-of-17 night.
To little surprise, A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart led the way for Team USA. Wilson went for 19 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks, while Stewart added 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Jewell Loyd was the only other scorer in double figures for the Americans, who shared the ball extremely well; they assisted on 27 of their 30 made field goals.
The next time Team USA takes the court will be on July 29, when they begin Olympic pool play against Japan in Lille. That game will tip at 3 p.m. ET and can be seen on USA Network.
Here are a few key takeaways from Tuesday's warm-up.
Taurasi maintains her starting spot
There were three locks for Team USA's starting lineup heading into the Olympics: Chelsea Gray at point guard and Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson in the frontcourt. The other two spots seemed to be up for grabs, especially considering Napheesa Collier's plantar fasciitis, which kept her out of the Minnesota Lynx's last five games before the break.
In the All-Star Game, Diana Taurasi and Jewell Loyd started alongside Gray, Stewart and Wilson. Taurasi was a no brainer for that game considering it is almost certainly her final All-Star appearance and the game was in Phoenix in front of her hometown fans, but it was unclear if she would maintain that spot throughout the summer considering her age and some of the young guard talent on the team.
If Tuesday's game is any indication, it appears that Taurasi has indeed locked down a starting spot. The only change to the opening five against Germany was Collier stepping in for Loyd. It will be interesting to see if Cheryl Reeve makes any changes for the game against Japan.
Wilson and Stewart once again lead the way
The duo are, by some margin, the two best players in the world. Stewart won WNBA MVP last season, and Wilson is on pace to run away with the award this season. As such, they have assumed control of Team USA this summer.
They combined for 53 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks in the All-Star Game, and then backed that up with a combined 34 points, 20 rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks against Germany on Tuesday. If they keep playing like this, there's no team in this tournament that can stop Team USA.
An unselfish approach
Late in the first quarter, there was a possession where Team USA made eight passes and all five players touched the ball before Alyssa Thomas kicked it out to a wide-open Jewell Loyd for a 3-pointer. If there was a model possession for how the sport should be played, that was it. The announcer called it "picture perfect" basketball.
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 23, 2024This ball movement by Team USA 👏
📺: FS1 pic.twitter.com/1vH9YhaKk6
That kind of unselfish approach carried Team USA throughout Tuesday's game. Though the shooting wasn't always there -- 41.6% overall -- the Americans assisted on 27 of their 30 made field goals for a staggering 90% assist rate. For comparison, the best assist rate in the WNBA this season is 78.6% by the Lynx.
These are 12 of the best players in the world. Many of them are the No. 1 option on their WNBA team, and would be well within their rights to think they should have a similar role on the national team. It's clear, though, that everyone is bought in to playing team basketball, and that will only make Team USA harder to beat.
