Team USA had a 24-point lead midway through the third quarter, but the lead was cut to 6 by the end of the pre-Olympic exhibition.

There was much for the U.S. Olympic team to appreciate on Monday, but also some concerns.

Anthony Davis scored 17 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, while Tyrese Haliburton hit a couple of crucial late 3-pointers to halt an American slide, leading the U.S. to a 98-92 win over Australia. This victory brought their exhibition record to 2-0 as they prepare for the Paris Olympics.

Devin Booker added 16 points, Anthony Edwards scored 14, and LeBron James, Bam Adebayo, and Joel Embiid each contributed 10. The U.S. team is hosting a pair of exhibition games in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and will face Serbia there on Wednesday.

Australia was led by Jock Landale with 20 points, Josh Giddey with 17, and Dyson Daniels with 14.

Despite leading by 24 points midway through the third quarter, the U.S. saw their lead shrink to six with 5:05 remaining after Australia went on a 39-21 run. Haliburton’s back-to-back 3-pointers extended the lead back to 92-80.

Australia managed to cut the deficit to four twice, but Booker’s perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final 8 seconds secured the win for the U.S.

“Third quarter, we started turning the ball over,” said U.S. coach Steve Kerr. “We gave up a ton of points at the basket. Back cuts, offensive boards and so, the game shifted. It’s a good lesson for us. Better to learn that lesson now than later. And this will be a good tape for us to watch. But I give Australia a ton of credit. They were great. They fought. They were really physical. Took it to us in the last quarter and a half and really made it a game.”

Second Unit Shines Again

Similar to the game against Canada, the U.S. second unit—Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, Adebayo, Davis, and Booker—made a significant impact.

This group turned a 19-19 tie with 3:15 left in the first quarter into a 39-23 lead, a 20-4 run in just over 5 minutes. Kerr started the second half with this lineup, highlighting the team’s depth as a major advantage. Replacing All-Stars with other All-Stars poses a significant challenge for opponents lacking such depth.

“The strength of our team is our depth and we have to utilize our depth,” Kerr emphasized.

This strategy has been effective for the U.S. in the past. For instance, Dwyane Wade led the gold-medalist 2008 U.S. Olympic team in points despite being sixth in minutes and coming off the bench in all eight games.

Turnovers a Concern

A significant issue for the U.S. team is turnovers.

With FIBA games being shorter (40 minutes instead of the NBA’s 48), there are fewer possessions, making turnovers even more costly. The U.S. had 18 turnovers on Monday, which Australia capitalized on to mount their comeback, scoring 25 points off turnovers in the second half alone.

“Our turnovers, it’s all about focus and execution,” Davis noted.

Injury Watch

Kevin Durant missed his second straight game due to a calf strain and is unlikely to play against Serbia with only one practice in between. Derrick White, who joined the team in Abu Dhabi over the weekend, also did not play. White replaced Kawhi Leonard, who was ruled out due to knee issues.