USA Basketball Throws Down on South Sudan
Tennis Courts Turn Testy Whether Players or Fans

Team USA survived a scare from South Sudan in a showcase lead-up to the Paris Olympics. It was the real deal on Wednesday and Team USA strutted its stuff to the tune of a 103-86 victory over their courageous opponents. USA excels at Paris Olympics in various events, showing their strength and determination.
The USA is 2-0 and officially a quarterfinalist in the Paris Olympics, in basketball news. The performance should make them a stronger favorite in sports betting odds, too, as they continue to sharpen as a team.

It was mentioned throughout the game that there aren’t indoor basketball courts in South Sudan and that the country is working on better facilities. When the country gets them, the South Sudan basketball program should continue to grow. It has made amazing advances since joining World Basketball.
In the game against Team USA, South Sudan was overmatched but battled throughout. The USA player who sat this one out was Joel Embiid. The 76ers’ star was a cheerleader as both Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum saw time after sitting in the opening win over Serbia.
Bam Adebayo had a huge first half, going 6-of-6 from the field with a pair of 3-point baskets for 14 points.
LeBron James had 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists in 20 minutes.
300 Olympic points (and counting) for @KingJames 👑#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/11qhyHONrA
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 31, 2024
Some of the highlights:
Bamonte Jam
📺 @USANetwork + @peacock
🇺🇸 #USABMNT #Paris2024 #Basketball
pic.twitter.com/DgGu3aQN1J— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 31, 2024
Swiatek Gains Despite Tension with Injured Collins
Tennis is supposed to be a lovely game. Not in Paris. A day after Coco Gauff was in tears during her match in Olympic women’s singles, Danielle Collins of the USA was nasty when she retired while losing to Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the favorite in women’s tennis odds.
I don’t think Danielle Collins is gonna have a lot of friends from the tour during her retirement match.#Paris2024 #Tennis pic.twitter.com/e9PdSP8XTI
— Pietro Marazzato (@PietroMarazzato) July 31, 2024
Collins retired due to an abdominal muscle injury, trailing 6-1, 2-6, 4-1. She was not happy with her opponent and made it clear in tennis news.
“I told Iga she didn’t have to be insincere about, you know, my injury” Collins said. “There’s a lot that happens on camera, and there are a lot of people with a ton of charisma and come out and are one way on camera and another way in the locker room.”
“And I just haven’t had the best experience, and I don’t really feel like anybody needs to be insincere. They can be the way that they are. I can accept that, and I don’t need the fakeness.”
What wasn’t fake was Swiatek being stunned when she was drilled with a Collins backhand while at the net during the match.
“I couldn’t breathe for some time” said Swiatek, who dropped to her knees to catch her breath. “I guess with the adrenaline that you have on court, you don’t feel these kinds of things too hard. So I could get back in the game really quickly.”
Nadalcaraz Kaput in Men’s Doubles
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz had a fun run in the men’s doubles event at the Olympics. The crowds loved them to the point they didn’t want the USA Team of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajickek in a quarterfinal match.
Rajeev Ram winner on triple break point nicks the line in the chair umpire’s opinion. Nadal and Alcaraz doing forensics. Call doesn’t change. American team on verge of winning this pic.twitter.com/Pnuoqk0Lqa
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) July 31, 2024
Per The Associated Press:
The doubles outcome seemed pretty much decided when Ram smacked a return winner off a serve by Alcaraz to break him at love and lead 4-3 in the second set.
The Spaniards thought the ball landed out and bent down to get closer to the clay while arguing their case with French chair umpire Morgane Lara. But the call did not change. And soon, Krajicek was serving to close it out. Still, Nadal never has been one to concede a thing, and so it was fitting that he and Alcaraz earned a break point there, a chance to extend the evening.
Didn’t happen, though, and soon Alcaraz and Nadal were hugging on one side of the net — and Ram and Krajicek were doing the same on the other. Krajicek and Ram have won a combined five grand slam doubles, but haven’t won one as a duo.
USA excels at Paris Olympics with Katie Ledecky romping in the 1500M swim. She was the only one in the frame at the finish. She ties for the 2nd-most medals earned by any swimmer in Olympic history (12), only Michael Phelps has more (23).
Top 20 times ever in women’s 1500m free:
1. Ledecky
2. Ledecky
3. Ledecky
4. Ledecky
5. Ledecky
6. Ledecky
7. Ledecky
8. Ledecky (today)
9. Ledecky
10. Ledecky
11. Ledecky
12. Ledecky
13. Ledecky
14. Ledecky
15. Ledecky
16. Ledecky
17. Ledecky
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19. Ledecky
20. Ledecky— Paul Carr (@PaulCarr) July 31, 2024
Brazilian star Marta Earned a Red Card Against Spain for Kicking Foe in the Head
🟥 ¡MARTA ES EXPULSADA!
Terrible entrada de la brasileña y deja a Brasil con 10, ¡La jugadora llegó hasta las LÁGRIMAS! 😭
📺 Peacock ➡️ https://t.co/sX22xPP6nN
📱 Telemundo APP ➡️ https://t.co/QI8PiYmczi#OlimpicosTelemundo #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/rx3mBvjRwe— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) July 31, 2024
The Big Cheese
Italian gymnast Giorgia Villa just won a silver medal in Team All-Around.
She’s also an ambassador for Parmigiano Reggiano 🧀 pic.twitter.com/W4llTJ1dLK
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) July 31, 2024
Taylor Swift Gifts ERAS Tour Ticket to USA Water Polo
#TaylorSwift gifted the U.S. Olympic women’s water polo team with tickets to her Eras Tour. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/xBp4jMxCp3
— People (@people) July 31, 2024
USA excels at Paris Olympics in various events, continuing to demonstrate their prowess on the international stage.