For yet another night, it looked like Jayson Tatum and the United States men’s basketball team were going to lose another exhibition game.
Instead, they’re heading to the Tokyo Olympics on a high note with an 83-76 win.
Trailing much of the game and getting torched by Ricky Rubio (game-high 23 points), Team USA finally made its run in the third quarter, outscoring Spain 21-12. That dictated the game, as the fourth was evenly matched at 26 points each.
Though Tatum didn’t find his shot, shooting just 30 percent from the field to score six points, his balanced performance was instrumental in the comeback. He had a team-high six rebounds, five assists and for what it’s worth, a plus-minus rating of +13.
Coming off an injury that kept him out against last game against Argentina, he was third-highest in minutes, too.
Tatum and Team USA set off for Tokyo with their first game on July 25 against France.
