Is Steph Curry playing today against South Sudan? Latest on 2x NBA MVP's availability (July 20)
Four-time NBA champion Steph Curry will play against South Sudan in Team USA's next exhibition match. The game is scheduled to tipoff at 3 p.m. EST on Saturday.
It's the fourth exhibition game for Curry and Team USA, who are a week removed from their first real Olympic match in Paris. They play Nikola Jokic and Serbia on July 28 for their first game.
In their last exhibition match vs. Serbia, Steph Curry finished with a game-high 24 points that included 6-9 shooting from behind the arc. It was his first explosive performance for Team USA this summer after shooting a modest 4-12 from three in the two prior games.
He's perhaps the player best equipped to take advantage of a slightly shorter 3-point line this tournament, as FIBA courts have different dimensions than the ones in the NBA.
Steph Curry hasn't played for Team USA since the 2014 FIBA World Cup and will be looking for his first gold medal in what is his first international tournament playing alongside LeBron James.
He's playing in an off-ball role in the starting lineup with LeBron James and may share the floor with former Golden State Warriors teammate Kevin Durant if he is able to suit up on Saturday. Durant returned to practice Friday after missing all Olympic action so far with a calf contusion.
Steph Curry, Team USA vs. South Sudan preview
The exhibition match between the two national teams will be their first-ever meeting, as South Sudan became a nation in 2011 and this is their first Olympic run.
The South Sudan basketball team has been launched and supported by Luol Deng, the former Chicago Bulls All-Star, who has invested much of his own money to help put together a team in recent years. They played in their first tournament together in 2017.
The team's most notable players include Carlik Jones and Wenyen Gabriel. Gabriel last played in the NBA with the LA Lakers, with Team USA's LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He's currently signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. Jones' last NBA stint was with the Chicago Bulls, and he now plays with the Partizan Mozzart Bet team in Serbia's top professional division.
Team USA and South Sudan are two of the squads in Group C of the Olympics, along with Puerto Rico and Brazil. They play their official Olympic match vs. South Sudan on July 31.