Basketball
USA men’s basketball team rolls past Canada in tune-up game
LAS VEGAS — Stephen Curry drove to the basket, laid the ball in, got fouled and ended up on the floor after drawing the contact.
He noticed he was near the on-court photographers.
So, he decided to go viral.
Curry posed for a few seconds — one hand on his hip, the other on the side of his head, while giving those cameras a wide-eyed look — before getting to his feet.
The showman put on a show in his debut with the U.S. Olympic basketball team, scoring 12 points in 19 minutes and helping the Americans beat Canada 86-72 in their exhibition opener on Wednesday night.
“Just having fun,” Curry said. “Got to the basket and I slid across. I was trying to get back up, but I got stuck so I just wanted to pose and give myself a second. You know I like to have fun and enjoy myself and it didn’t take long for me to find an opportunity tonight.”
There was a lot to like — and in fairness, plenty not to like — for the Americans in their first tune-up for the Paris Olympics.
First, they won. All 10 available players contributed; they all got between 17 and 21 minutes except for Joel Embiid, who was limited to 12 only because of foul trouble.
There were highlights — social media went wild for the Curry pose and a LeBron James chase-down block that led to a 3-pointer for Devin Booker — and there were plenty of mistakes that can be quickly cleaned up.