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Steph: Team USA has 'appropriate fear' of South Sudan

Nathaniel S. Butler / National Basketball Association / Getty

Team USA isn't overlooking South Sudan after narrowly avoiding an upset to the country before the Paris Olympics.

Ahead of Wednesday's matchup against South Sudan in Olympic pool play, Stephen Curry told ESPN's Brian Windhorst that he and his teammates are approaching the game with caution.

"We have appropriate fear," the Golden State Warriors star said. "We know we can't just sleepwalk through any game and feel like you're going to win."

South Sudan, which is competing in its first Olympics, came close to stunning the U.S. in an exhibition game in London earlier this month before losing 101-100. At one point during the game, the Bright Stars held a 16-point lead over Team USA.

"The exhibition schedule was great because you got to figure out where we need to get better and also feel the force of teams that are coming trying to beat us," Curry said. "They're a very high-octane offense, spread the floor, shoot a lot of threes, and have athleticism. So you just got to be mindful of how to guard them. It's totally different than Serbia."

Team USA enters Wednesday's game with a 1-0 record after defeating Serbia in their Olympic opener, while South Sudan also sits at 1-0 after its win over Puerto Rico.

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