Nigeria entered the matchup with Team USA as a 30-point underdog but knocked down 20 threes en route to a stunning 90-87 win in a pre-Olympics exhibition game.
Just nine years ago, USA thumped Nigeria 156-73, but that was before Nigeria put 16 players in the NBA and dozens more in professional leagues around the world. Even so, Team USA’s roster is comprised of All-Stars and All-NBA types, and they figured to coast to an easy win in their first game together.
Not so much. While Team USA played with a “too cool” vibe evocative of the twenty-teens Wizards, Nigeria went hard from start to finish.