Los Angeles Lakers news: LeBron James and the rest of Team USA took care of business on Monday as they held off a determined Australia side in their first tune-up contest in Abu Dhabi.
The Americans were given a proper scare by their opponents, though, as Australia came all the way back from 24 points down to cut down the lead to single digits in the final period. In the end, however, the most important thing is that Team USA was able to hold on to the victory, 98-92.
Los Angeles Lakers News: LeBron James Reacts to Team USA Win

For his part, LeBron logged 21 minutes of action in this one to finish with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting, three rebounds, three assists, and one triple. It was far from a mind-blowing performance from the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, which is also what you can say about the USA’s overall showing in this exhibition game.
After the win, James had a simple two-word reaction as he headed back to the locker room:
“Good test,” he said.
“Good test.”#USABMNT walks off with a 98-92 victory in Abu Dhabi! pic.twitter.com/TPFoP8cBui
— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2024
Indeed it was.

The Americans averted disaster here thanks to a monster effort from Anthony Davis off the bench. The Lakers big man turned in a 17-point, 14-rebound double-double with a steal and two blocks in just 18 minutes of action.
Team USA will be back in action on Wednesday when they take on Nikola Jokic and Serbia, who should present an even tougher test for the Americans and the Olympic aspirations.

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