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Rio de Janeiro • After breezing through a five-game exhibition tour at home and routing two opponents to open the Olympic tournament in Brazil, the USA basketball team ran into some actual resistance Wednesday night.
Whether the bigger surprise was that Australia gave the USA so much trouble or that the Americans responded so well to being pressed for the first time, the fact is they came through in the end. When guard Kyrie Irving hit a tough 3-pointer over the Utah Jazz's Joe Ingles in the last minutes, the USA finally found some comfort on the way to a 98-88 victory in Group A preliminary play.
"This is the real world now," said USA coach Mike Krzyzewski. "That was good for us."
Australia is in a different class than China or Venezuela, that's for sure. As the game unfolded, the question became how long the Boomers would hang around. The answer was 38-plus minutes, until Irving's shot made it 83-76 and the Aussies' upset bid was short-circuited.
"We're disappointed," said former University of Utah center Andrew Bogut, not playing along with any suggestion that Australia accomplished something by coming close.
If not for Carmelo Anthony's 31-point night, the Aussies might have won. Then again, they stayed in this game because San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills scored 30 himself. Bogut added 15 for the Boomers, who led 54-49 at halftime and went ahead 72-70 on Ingles' layup early in the fourth quarter.
That's when Anthony delivered. He scored the Americans' next eight points, including two 3-pointers. Surrounded by more talent than in New York, where he often has to create opportunities for himself with the Knicks, Anthony is a mainly spot-up shooter in the Olympics. He took advantage of a shorter 3-point line by going 9 of 15, and he exploited what Australian coach Andrej Lemanis called "mental lapses" when the Boomers tried to help inside and left Anthony open.
Anthony looked like a four-time Olympian, continually hitting shots when his team needed them.
"Guys stepped up," Krzyzewski said. "I mean, Carmelo was magnificent."
"We thought he would get good looks in this game," said assistant coach Tom Thibodeau, "and he made some tough plays and big shots for us."
And the Americans needed every bit of Anthony's offensive work. Irving added 19 points, but nobody else was a dependable scorer against a team loaded with NBA players. Ultimately, the USA's defense proved vital. The Aussies scored only 34 points in the second half after their 54-point first half, when they shot 68 percent from the field. Thibodeau said no matter what strategy he tried, it was not working properly.
The second half was another story. The USA scored the first nine points of the third quarter to right itself. Although the Aussies stayed close and led briefly in the fourth period, they couldn't complete the upset.
Afterward, the Americans could rationalize that being tested was healthy. "Adversity is always good," Kevin Durant said, applauding his team's poise under pressure.
The struggle certainly creates more interest in the medal round. Australia is well positioned to claim the No. 2 seed in Group A, meaning the teams could meet in the Aug. 21 gold medal game.
Twitter: @tribkurt —
Storylines
• After winning two games by an average of 50.5 points in the Olympics, the USA is tested in a 98-88 win over Australia.
• Australia gives up 26 offensive rebounds and commits 16 turnovers, hurting its upset bid.
• The Aussies are likely to finish 4-1 and become the No. 2 qualifier from Group A, with games remaining against China and Venezuela.