A very solid performance for the Chicago Bulls‘ star shooting guard Zach LaVine and the United States came against one of his teammates and combo guard Tomas Satoransky on July 31. Team USA rounded out pool play in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, on the morning of July 31 against fellow Bulls guard Sato and the Czech Republic.
This looked like it would be a more challenging matchup for the United States to round out pool play against the Czech Republic compared to the previous meeting, which resulted in a dominant win over Iran. But the United States really now looks to be headed in the right direction following a July 31 win over the Czech Republic, by the final score of 119-84.
A slow start for the United States in this outing against Czech Republic saw the team rally to not lose any of the final three quarters. And LaVine continued his efficient play with Team USA in this win, where he registered 13 points off the bench, two rebounds, five assists, one steal, no blocks, and no turnover.
LaVine shot 5-of-7 from the field, 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and didn’t have any attempts from the free-throw line.
Chicago Bulls’ star Zach LaVine helps Team USA beat Tomas Satoransky and the Czech Republic
Boston Celtics star wing Jayson Tatum and LaVine were the two best players off the bench for the United States in this game. Tatum was electric, registering a team-high 27 points, two rebounds, one assist, and two blocks.
Moreover, Sato did play well for the Czech Republic. But it just wasn’t enough to get the United States over the hump in the end. He posted 12 points, a team-high six rebounds, eight assists, no steals, no blocks, and two turnovers. And Sato shot 5-of-12 from the field, 0-of-2 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.
Sato usually is one of the most valuable players of any individual team with his play for the Czech Republic the past few years. But he didn’t have that insane magic that the Czech Republic needed to pull out this win in the end.
Following this win over the Czech Republic, the United States now looks on to the knockout round. Both the United States and France will advance from this group to the knockout round, with Iran and the Czech Republic headed home.
It was nice to see the Bulls first-time All-Star LaVine continue to come through in a big way for legendary head coach of the San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich and this United States squad this weekend. The United States will carry a record of 2-1 into the next stage of the Olympic run.