Substitution Triumphs! US Bench Set to Combine for Points, While Starters Struggle

On the morning of August 1st, the Olympic men’s basketball group stage continued as the US team triumphantly defeated South Sudan by a score of 103-86, securing their second win and advancing from the group stage. The performance disparity between the starting lineup and the bench players was stark in this match. Coach K altered the starting lineup, with Tatum returning to the starting position, and Davis taking over for Embiid, who was DNP due to poor performance. The US men’s basketball team quickly established an advantage in the first quarter, leading by 12 points at the end of the quarter and expanding their lead to 19 points at halftime. South Sudan showed remarkable resilience, winning back 3 points in the third quarter and repeatedly narrowing the gap to around 10 points, but the US’s superior strength prevailed, ultimately defeating South Sudan by a score of 103-86, securing their second consecutive victory. In this match, the starting players of the US men’s basketball team performed generally average, with only Booker and James scoring double digits. Among the five starters, the positive or negative value of all except Booker was negative. Curry scored only 3 points in the entire game after making 9 shots out of 1, and Tatum scored just 4 points. The combined total of points scored by the starting players was 37. In contrast, four bench players scored double digits. Aduba, playing efficiently, tallied the team’s highest score of 18 points and 7 rebounds. Durant, Edwards, and White also scored double digits, with all bench players having positive value. Among them, Durant’s +26 was the highest across the team. Six bench players collectively contributed 66 points in this game, outscoring the starters by 29 points.