USA MEN’S BASKETBALL EXHINITION

These games don’t count, but it sure looks upsetting for the United States National  Basketball Team after dropping its first two exhibition games in Las Vegas.

First came the 88-85 loss to Nigeria, and if that served to be a wake-up call, it failed when the USA team coached by long-time San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich followed with Monday night‘s 91-83 setback to Australia.

And for probably the first time in 29 years of suiting up an all-National Basketball Association national team, they heard boos when a game ended — on home soil, no less.

Tonight, it goes against Argentina, and another defeat would certainly stir Popovich up even more. He was mild after the Nigeria defeat, shaking his head and putting in a plug for the much-improved field on the schedule, and that included Nigeria.

But this time, he ripped into a reporter, talking over him and letting loose a number of bleeps, never relenting, and just piling it on before leaving with his two players at the media gathering.

“I already said enough,” Popovich said after defending his players by going after this one reporter and maybe a few others. “We lost, it was just another exhibition game, and we will still go after the Olympic championship no matter what the media thinks now.”

Patty Mills, an NBA player, scored 22 points for Australia, which held the USA without a field goal for the final 4:34, in game two of the five-game exhibitions leading up to the Tokyo Olympics.

High-scoring guard Damian Lillard led the Americans with 22 points and Kevin Durant, who can go at several positions, added 17 and guard Bradley Beal tossed in 12. But the US wasted a 10-point second half lead, and have now dropped back-to-back games for just the third time since the NBA began wearing the red, white and blue in 1992.

Jason Tatum’s layup with 4:35 left put the USA up 82-80, but Australia, with Mills who plays under Popovich for San Antonio, leading the way, went on a 11-1 run down the stretch. The Aussies also picked up 17 points from Joe Ingles, a dozen from Matisse Thybulle, and 11 from Chris Goulding.

You can watch USA against Argentina on NBCSN at the scheduled starting time of 4 p.m. today.