Order restored: US beats Canada in pre-World Cup basketball

SYDNEY (AP) — The United States rebounded from a rare loss two days earlier to outclass Canada 84-68 in a pre-World Cup exhibition basketball game Monday.

At the same arena where the Americans won Olympic gold at the Sydney 2000 Games the U.S. never trailed, leading 20-9 after the first quarter and 46-31 at halftime. Canada was hurt by a poor shooting percentage in the first half, netting just 12 for 43 and three for 14 from the three-point range.

On Saturday, Australia stunned the U.S. 98-94 before a crowd of more than 52,000 in Melbourne, a result that ended the Americans’ 78-game winning streak.

The U.S. is missing top NBA players such as LeBron James, James Harden, Paul George and Stephen Curry. Canada also has many of its NBA stars missing.

It was a dour scoring game after the exciting Saturday result in Melbourne, with both teams committing numerous turnovers.

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