Into the second quarter shooting woes continued as the US connected on only 2-12 three point attempts. Romdhane remained strong even requiring double teams to slow him down.  The US second unit seemed to be the boost needed, going on an 11-0 run to conclude the quarter. Still, viewers were left wondering if the game would prove to be much closer than imagined.

Due to the starters lazy first half performance the bench continued to play come the start of the third quarter. Their defensive prowess proved to be the game changer as defensive rebounds produced easy transition baskets. The US became invincible on the open court and with it came one spectacular dunk after another. In the midst of all these breath taking plays, players and spectators were given another reason to become speechless. In an contested lay up attempt Kevin Love appeared to injure his knee and shortly after stumbled to the sideline. The US continued to widen its lead while cameras remained focused in on trainers rubbing Love’s knee. With every horrific scenario running through the minds of Wolves and basketball fans alike the US finished the quarter strong finishing 15 of 18 from the field.

Minutes into the fourth quarter, reports from Craig Sager and team trainers stated that Love was ‘fine’ and the injury was being treated with ice as a precautionary measure. It wasn’t long until Love returned to the game nailing several open three pointers and finishing the game as the team’s leading scorer. With 16 points, Love not only demonstrated his injury was minor but he was more ready than ever to seize an prominent role on this team.

Overall this game revealed nothing we didn’t know before. The US still crushed Tunisia but showed that reliance on 3 point shots may eventually hurt them against bigger teams like Spain or Argentina. However, as long as the US performs on the defensive end they should get easy transition buckets and allow themselves to defeat opponents convincingly.

Player of the Night: Anthony Davis 12 PTS, 3 REBS, 1 BLK
While Love ended the game as the team’s leading scorer, Davis gave audiences a peak into why he will be a force to be reckoned with come Fall. He left the crowd in awe with alley oops only a man of his wing span could finish. With as many minutes in this game as Chandler, Westbrook and Wiliams we may be in store for more of the Brow.

July 18, 2012; Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM; USA players LeBron James (left), Kevin Durant (center), and Kevin Love (right) laugh while watching the USA Women play Great Britain during the 2012 London Olympic Games warm-up game at the Manchester Evening News Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Toth-US PRESSWIRE

The USA Men’s Basketball team is currently a 55.5 point favorite against Tunisia today according to USA Today. This point spread can guarantee a few things: 1. USA will never trail in this game. 2. Expect at least one if not several US players to score 25+ points. 3. There will be more slam dunks and alley-oops than an And 1 showcase. Needless to say, this game will not be much of an indicator of how to US will fare in the subsequent rounds but rather just how dominating the US are willing to be.

The players to watch in this game will be the Kevins- Durant and Love respectively. Love has been closely watched since Team USA chairman Jerry Colangelo told USA Today that Love “has not performed up to what he is capable of performing.” Following these comments, Love provided a somewhat redeeming performance against France delivering 14 points in 14 minutes. Perhaps the most scrutinized player in an otherwise invincible squad, Love is still a player with something to prove. While Tunisia will not be the best test for which to judge his talents, it is still an opportunity for Love to build some separation from his critics. Expect him to have another strong outing as we all know that Love does not appreciate having his game questioned.

Unlike Love, Durant has impressed since the team’s first exhibition game. Against France, Durant scored 22 points and should be expected to well exceed this number today, especially if he’s listening to his teammates. Lebron James, Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant have all stated they want Durant to shoot more. James stated, “He’s one of the best players the world has and he’s a three-time scoring champ. So we don’t want the KD that defers. We want the KD that he is in Oklahoma City,” per Royce Young of Daily Thunder. Durant responded to this encouragement saying “I guess I’ve got to be aggressive.” It should be safe to assume Durant will be the high scorer in this game, potentially being the first US player to tally 30 or more points.

Needless to say, this will also be a great game to watch for highlights. There were dazzling moments against France, specifically Lebron’s near full court bounce pass and Harden’s aggressive dunk. Today’s game should provide even more jaw dropping assists and rim rockers. USA will be able to out run, out muscle and overall embarrass Tunisia.

PREDICTIONS:

Final Score: USA- 125 Tunisia- 64
Line of the Night: Durant- 34 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST
Highlight of the Night Prediction: Chris Paul to Lebron 3/4 Court Alley Oop