Team USA Blue Beats White 97-78 as Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker Combine for 31
August 10, 2019
Boston Celtics teammates Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker scored 31 combined points as Team Blue defeated Team White 97-78 in a Team USA men's basketball intrasquad scrimmage in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena on Friday night.
Tatum led all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Walker added 14 points and co-led all USA Blue players with four assists. Sacramento Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox contributed 12 points, three steals and two blocks.
Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins and San Antonio Spurs guard Derrick White co-led Team White with 12 points apiece. Collins added eight rebounds.
Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac had 11 points and a game-high four steals.
The matchup acted as a tune-up in preparation for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. The USA Blue roster consisted of national team World Cup training camp members. USA White contained the Select Team (the junior squad whose members can be called up if needed).
Here's a look at the rosters, a recap and the top highlights from the evening's action.
USA Blue Roster
Boston Celtics G/F Jaylen Brown; Boston Celtics PG Marcus Smart (injured); Boston Celtics F Jayson Tatum; Boston Celtics PG Kemba Walker; Brooklyn Nets F Joe Harris; Chicago Bulls PF Thaddeus Young; Houston Rockets F P.J. Tucker; Denver Nuggets C Mason Plumlee; Indiana Pacers C Myles Turner; Miami Heat F/C Bam Adebayo; Milwaukee Bucks C Brook Lopez; Milwaukee Bucks G/F Khris Middleton; Los Angeles Lakers F Kyle Kuzma; Sacramento Kings F Harrison Barnes; Sacramento Kings PG De'Aaron Fox; Toronto Raptors PG Kyle Lowry (injured); Utah Jazz G Donovan Mitchell
USA White Roster
Atlanta Hawks F/C John Collins; Atlanta Hawks PG Trae Young (injured); Brooklyn Nets C Jarrett Allen; Dallas Mavericks G Jalen Brunson; Denver Nuggets G Torrey Craig; Memphis Grizzlies F Jaren Jackson Jr.; Milwaukee Bucks G/F Pat Connaughton; New York Knicks C Mitchell Robinson (injured); Orlando Magic F Jonathan Isaac; Phoenix Suns G/F Mikal Bridges; Sacramento Kings F/C Marvin Bagley III; San Antonio Spurs G Derrick White
Rosters via usab.com.
Recap
The USA Blue guards dominated en route to a 51-34 halftime advantage.
Fox in particular was unstoppable on both ends, as evidenced by this steal-and-score for two.
The Kings point guard had eight points, two steals and two blocks in just five minutes, 15 seconds of first-half action.
Walker also continued his scoring surge from last season, knocking down this step-back bucket:
He led all scorers with 10 at the break. Tatum was second with nine thanks to a trio of three-pointers.
USA Blue shot 60 percent in the first half and hit 7-of-14 three-pointers. Team White was ice-cold from the field, making just 31 percent of its field goals and only one of 15 three-point attempts.
Kings forward Marvin Bagley III and Collins co-led USA White with six points at the break.
The senior team continued its dominance in the second half and put the game away by outscoring the junior team 27-14 in the third quarter. Tatum continued his excellent night thanks in part to this slice through the lane for two:
Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma threw down this hammer:
However, the junior team didn't finish without a highlight, as Collins went up high to finish an alley-oop pass from White:
As for what's next, the official 12-man roster for the USA World Cup team will be announced Aug. 17. The competition will take place from Aug. 31 through Sept. 15 in China, with Team USA starting the first round against the Czech Republic on Sept. 1 in Group E. The Americans will face Turkey on Sept. 3 and Japan on Sept. 5.