SI

LeBron James Takes Over Late vs. Germany, Saves Team USA Again

James scored Team USA's final 11 points in close win over Germany.

Ryan Phillips

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LeBron James had to step up and rescue Team USA once again.

The Americans trailed an excellent Germany squad for much of the second half of their pre-Olympic exhibition on Monday, but wound up pulling out a 92–88 win. For the second game in a row, James had to step up to save Team USA from a loss.

Over the last four minutes of the contest, James was everywhere. It started at the 3:57 mark when he finished with a dunk to give the Americans an 83–82 lead. Then he raced to the other end and stole an Andreas Obst pass, rushed back to the offensive end and finished a layup at the 3:40 mark.

Then, he rebounded a Dennis Schroder three-pointer and drew a foul that put him on the free-throw line. He made both, giving Team USA an 87–82 lead with 3:20 to go. In 37 seconds his personal 6–0 run flipped the game. But he wasn't done yet.

With 3:14 left, Obst missed a three-pointer that James rebounded while drawing a foul on Daniel Theis. He missed both free throws on the other end. No one scored until two Franz Wagner free throws with 2:10 left cut the lead to 87-84, then Theis had a dunk to cut the lead to one. With 1:26 left and the pressure on, James struck again. The four-time NBA MVP nailed a three-pointer to give Team USA a 90–86 lead.

An empty possession from Germany followed before James made another layup with 45 seconds remaining to run the lead to 92-86 and essentially seal the game.

With Germany up 82-81, James stepped up and scored Team USA's final 11 points, going 4-for-4 from the field, grabbing three rebounds, and snatching one steal. It was a remarkable showing from the 39-year-old.

James finished with a team-high 20 points, with six rebounds, four assists, one steal and a block in 18 minutes. He went 8-of-11 from the field and 2-of-2 from three-point range. Joel Embiid added 15 points and Stephen Curry chipped in 13 for the Americans.

This comes two days after James made a game-winning layup to save Team USA in a tight game against South Sudan.

On Monday, James was selected by his fellow U.S. Olympians to serve as the male flagbearer for the Americans. It is a tremendous honor for the decorated superstar. He celebrated by dominating on the court to ensure Team USA was undefeated on the court in their pre-Olympic schedule.

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Ryan Phillips

RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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