Walker raises US faces of Australians in warm-up

After Australia briefly took the advantage at 45-44 early in the second period, the Americans scored 13 unanswered points, including three to three straight points from Turner, Harrison Barnes and Donovan Mitchell, for bring the score to 57-45.

"The way we bounced back in the second half shows the character of this team," Mitchell said. "We played in front of 55,000 people – there will be nervousness, the guys will be crazy and ready to leave, but once we settled in and started playing basketball, we were in good shape. "

Patty Mills and Chris Goulding each scored 19 points for Australia.

Walker was one of the keys to the second half resurgence for the Americans, scoring 21 of his 23 points after halftime.

"I'm one of the leaders of this team, so it's important that I give that tone," said the Celtics guard.

The roof of the Marvel stadium was closed for the match and a raised basketball court was placed in the middle of the field, surrounded by hundreds of white chairs, with a depth of more than 20 rows, for the purpose of fans who paid to sit on the ground.

"Everyone is out tonight," said Mills. "The fans are able to show their support, it's really cool, really good to see and I hope we will continue in this vein for years to come."

Despite the crowd, the Australian media reported that refunds were paid to some fans because they had purchased tickets from promotional materials describing Stephen Curry and LeBron James. Neither is in the team.

Australia also did not have its biggest star, Ben Simmons, who chose not to participate in the World Cup. Nevertheless, the starting lineup of the Boomers included four NBA players: Mills, Aron Baynes, Joe Ingles and Matthew Dellavedova.

Both teams needed time to adapt to the unusual conditions of the cavernous stage. Walker launched an aerial ball with the first shot of the game, while Baynes missed his first two free throws for the Boomers.

The crowd was also under control, producing only a few applause for the American baskets. However, cheers erupted when the Boomers cleared the US lead before half-time on a consecutive three-point straight from Goulding and six consecutive points from Mills.

This victory is the 78th consecutive major international exhibition and competition of the US National Team, a series that began with the 2006 World Championship bronze medal match. It includes the medal races. gold at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and the 2007 FIBA ​​Americas Tournament.

He also qualified 2-0 in the US under coach Gregg Popovich, after last weekend's California show win over Spain.

TIP-INS

Marcus Smart, of Boston, who is still recovering from a calf injury that occurred about two weeks ago at the Las Vegas training camp, did not play. Derrick White of San Antonio did not play for the United States either before the last minutes. … It was the first meeting between the national teams since the Olympians won 98-88 at the Rio Olympics in 2016, before winning the gold medal.

Australia: actor Russell Crowe, who spends most of his time in Australia, was part of the crowd. … In a show that NBA fans are used to, Dellavedova has thrown to the ground three times to look for lost balls in the first three minutes of the game, including the first pitch. Mills gave Popovich, his longtime San Antonio coach, a huge hug on the court right before the start of the game.

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