Despite a late-game rally by the “home” team, Team World was able to continue their unbeaten streak by sneaking past Team Africa 96-92 in the 2018 NBA Africa Game held Saturday at Sun Arena at Time Square in Pretoria, South Africa.
Trail Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu, who has dual US/Nigerian citizenship and plays internationally for Nigeria, started for Team Africa and finished with two points on 1-of-4 shooting, six rebounds, five steals, three assists and a block in 20 minutes. The 6-9 forward also finished with a +/- of +12, the best mark of any player on Team Africa.
Aminu has now played for Team Africa all three NBA Africa Games. Trail Blazers assistant coach David Vanterpool served as an assistant for the World Team. Clippers forward Danillo Galinari took MVP honors by leading Team World with 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes.
Sixers center Joel Embiid, a native of Cameroon, led Team Africa with 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting, eight rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in 24 minutes. The 2018 NBA Africa Game is the finale of a week of NBA related activities, including a Basketball Without Borders camp and numerous charitable events. The 2018 NBA Africa Game is played in support of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, whose goals is to promote "dialogue as a vital instrument for addressing critical social issues and the most effective vehicle for sharing and growing memory, and for engaging it in the promotion of justice and social cohesion."