Danilo Gallinari scored 23 points to lead Team World to a 96-92 win over Team Africa in the NBA Africa Game 2018 Saturday in Pretoria, South Africa.
Gallinari, who was named the 2018 Manute Bol MVP of the game, hit a pair of clutch buckets down the stretch as Team World held off a late rally from Joel Embiid and Team Africa. Gallinari, a former Basketball Without Borders camper, also grabbed eight rebounds. Harrison Barnes added a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds for Team World.
Joel Embiid led Team Africa with 24 points and seven rebounds. Luol Deng added 14 points and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot chipped in 16.
Team Africa was made up of players born in Africa or with direct family ties to the continent, and Team World was composed of players from the rest of the world.
Saturday’s game capped off a week of events that featured a Basketball Without Borders camp and various NBA Cares efforts to help support charities including the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Africa, SOS Children’s Villages South Africa (SOSCVSA) and UNICEF.
NBA Africa Game 2018 was played at the 8,500-seat Sun Arena in Time Square of Pretoria, about 40 miles from Johannesburg. The NBA has held two Africa games previously — in 2015 and last year — both in Johannesburg, South Africa’s biggest city and commercial hub.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report
