U.S.A Basketball Loses For The First Time In Nearly 13 Years

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – The U.S. men’s basketball team has lost for the first time in nearly 13 years, falling to Australia 98-94 in a pre-World Cup exhibition game on Saturday. Patty Mills scored 30 points for Australia, which rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half. It was the first loss for the U.S. in a major international tournament or exhibition since the 2006 world championship semifinals against Greece. The Americans won the bronze medal game of that tournament, and then were unbeaten through the cycles for the 2007 FIBA Americas, 2008 Olympics, 2010 World Cup, 2012 Olympics, 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. Add all that up, and it was a 78-game winning streak for the U.S. – the longest in program history. And it’s now over. USA Basketball is No. 1 in FIBA’s world rankings, but so far in the run-up to this World Cup – with most of the top NBA All-Stars deciding to not play this summer – the Americans have not looked like a lock for more gold. They beat Spain by nine in Anaheim, California on Aug. 16, needed a big second half to defeat Australia by 16 on Thursday, and then let a second-half lead slip away Saturday. Playing against his San Antonio coach, U.S. coach Gregg Popovich, Mills scored nine consecutive points for the Australians in the fourth quarter to help the hosts pull away. Kemba Walker scored 22 points for the U.S., and Harrison Barnes scored 20.