RIO DE JANEIRO -- Australia always had the belief, and have now convinced the mighty United States they can win a historic Olympic mens basketball medal in Rio.The Boomers nearly became the first team to knock off the world No.1 side at a Games since 2004 on Wednesday night (Thursday morning AEDT).Thats if it wasnt for Carmelo Anthony and his record 31 points.A masterclass late in the fourth quarter from the Americans most experienced player turned a two-point deficit into a scarily close 98-88 victory for the U.S. - their 18th straight at an Olympics.While the United States put China and Venezuela away with ease, Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova made them work hard for the win.The Australians, who earlier toppled top-six nations France and Serbia, led for large periods of the game and did not trail by more than eight points until the dying seconds.Mills finished with 30 points and Bogut added 15 points, while Dellavedova had 11 points plus 11 assists and six rebounds.That was the first real international game weve had, U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said.Australia have probably played the best of anybody in the Olympics.They just play lights-out basketball.Theyre going to vie for a gold medal.Winning gold - not just a maiden medal - was a goal they set after qualifying for the Rio Games last year.I know many have laughed at us along the way, but perhaps tonights performance will help some others believe it, Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis said.Kevin Durant believes it, predicting Australia will go pretty far this tournament after what he came up against.But Bogut, despite being surprised by his own performance in just his third game back from a knee injury, wasnt all smiles.Were disappointed, he said.We lost. Were not going to take small moral victories.Theyre the best team in the world, we battled them and we thought we shouldve been in a position to try and grind out a closer game.In the past, you get within 10 or 15 and you get a birthday cake in the locker-room and everyone thinks its the best day ever.We have a different mindset this Olympics and hopefully we can keep that grit and determination.Having been drawn in the same group for Rio, the two teams wont be able to meet again until the gold medal match should they finish in the top two.The Boomers next play China, while the U.S. face Serbia.Anthony overtook LeBron James as the Americans alltime leading scorer midway through the match. Randy White Jersey . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves. Michael Irvin Jersey .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. https://www.cowboyssportsgoods.com/Womens-Chuck-Howley-Inverted-Jersey/ . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw. Bill Bates Cowboys Jersey .C. United of Major League Soccer. United chose the defender in the second round of the 2013 MLS re-entry draft. Michael Irvin Youth Jersey . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. After winning the Presidents Trophy with 120 points in 2015-16, and an initially promising 8-2-1 start to the 2016-17 season, the Capitals stumbled to a 5-5-2 record during the following month, and fell to fifth in the Metropolitan division; two straight overtime victories have lifted them to fourth as of Dec. 8.Enthusiasm in Washingtons chances of success havent been this low in years. Four major statistical models -- Money Puck, Hockey Reference, Sports Club Stats?and Playoff Status -- project Washingtons chances of winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history between 2.9 and 5.0 percent.These models also project Washingtons chances of missing the playoffs ffor just the second time in a decade somewhere between 24.dddddddddddd3 and 44.7 percent. This means that the Capitals are perceived to be roughly 10 times more likely to miss the playoffs than to win the Stanley Cup. Thats a surprisingly pessimistic view that is increasingly being shared by fans and pundits across the NHL with every passing (or narrowly escaped) loss.This may have been a surprisingly humbling start to their season, but the underlying numbers still suggest that the Capitals remain the team to beat in the East this season. ' ' '