San Antonio Spurs’ forward Keldon Johnson – who was just recently promoted to Team USA from the Select Team – led the way for the Stars and Stripes in their final exhibition game before the Tokyo Olympics as Team USA defeated Spain 83-76 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay on Sunday night.
Johnson scored 15 points on 7-9 shooting in just 17 minutes while posting a team-high plus-minus of +18.
“Keldon Johnson just played a really solid basketball game,” said Team USA’ head coach Gregg Popovich after the game, via USA Basketball.
“He shot if he was open, he made cuts to the bucket. When he did go to the bucket, he was very physical. And he was solid in the half-court defense. So, he had a very, very good night.”
Ricky Rubio was Spain’s highest scorer with 23 points; draft prospect Usman Garuba was impressive as well with four points, eight rebounds, and two assists in 13 minutes of play.
Team USA will begin its 2021 Olympic campaign in Saitama, Japan on July 25 in a matchup against France.