Team USA lost to Nigeria 90-87 in an exhibition basketball game in Las Vegas on Saturday. It's their first loss to an African team in history.

Nigeria, which had eight NBA players on their roster, exploded from downtown to drain 20 triples in the game. Gabe Vincent, an undrafted guard from the Miami Heat, was 6-8 in triples to score 21 points for Nigeria.

When USA and Nigeria met in the Summer Olympics in London in 2012, Nigeria lost by 83 points (156-73). Though Saturday's game was no more than a warm-up, it's still a great boost to the team's confidence in Tokyo.

"We just wanted to compete," said Nigeria's Gabe Nnamdi. "We know what USA Basketball means around the world and what they've stood for for so long."

"At the end of the day, it doesn't mean much in the standings as far as where we're trying to get to," said Nigeria's head coach Mike Brown. "But it's a good win for us. I don't think any African team has been able to beat USA Basketball in an exhibition game or a real game. ... We're trying to get a little bit of momentum for Nigeria and for the continent of Africa."

Though USA missed three players – Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, who are still playing the NBA Finals – in Saturday's game, the loss was still a shocker, not to mention that it exposed some of their weaknesses.

The team have Damian Lillard, who, in many people's eyes, is already at the same level with Stephen Curry in the NBA, but he was not a good orchestrator in Saturday's game. The shorter 3-point line and absence of a defensive three-second violation rule made it easier for defenders to do their job but harder for Lillard to work between the free throw line and the 3-point line. Neither did Bradley Beal nor Kevin Durant felt comfortable in this area because it's too crowded.

USA's players have not found defensive chemistry either. They switched too often while defending screen plays and had too many back-court defensive weakness, including Lillard, Beal and Zach LaVine. Meanwhile, Bam Adebayo was too slow to help defensively after switching. Such a delay often resulted in mismatches and lost points. However, USA players did not switch against off-ball plays, leaving many open shots.

Not every team in Tokyo can shoot 20-42 from beyond the arc against USA like Nigeria did, but a shorter 3-point line also means more players can punish the defense from outside.

When USA have Middleton and Holiday back, their switching defense will improve. But that won't solve the team's size problem, especially in the paint. Neither Draymond Green nor Adebayo is a full-sized big man. The pressure of protecting the rim and grabbing rebounds can get painfully great when they meet France and Rudy Gobert.

USA will meet France in their first group game on July 25.