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.
LeBron James is taking over!
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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.
LBJ for 3!
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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.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as LeBron James Takes Over Late vs. Germany, Saves Team USA Again .
