Houston Rockets forward P.J. Tucker contributed to a blowout victory by his USA Blue Team in Friday night’s USA Basketball intrasquad exhibition at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In nine minutes, Tucker made the only shot he attempted — appropriately, a three-pointer. Besides those three points, he also tallied three rebounds, two blocks, a steal, and an assist.

Most notably, Tucker’s side was +20 in those nine minutes he played off the USA Blue Team’s bench. That plus/minus figure was tied for the best of any player in the game.

P.J. Tucker gets the defensive stop on one end, hits the corner 3-pointer on the other end. #Rockets #TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/gRGWqo2sT6 — Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) August 10, 2019

Tucker’s USA Blue Team, which consisted of NBA players battling for roster spots in the upcoming 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, defeated the USA White Team, 97-78.

The White Team, led by 12 points from San Antonio’s Derrick White, was largely comprised of younger NBA players from the USA Select Team and coached by former Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy.

Friday’s intrasquad game followed four intense days of practices, as 17 NBA players are now in competition for the final 12 spots on the USA Basketball Men’s National Team roster. The 17 players that remain were announced after the game, with Tucker among them.

Tucker and other roster finalists will reassemble on Tuesday in Los Angeles, California, for three more training days. They then play an exhibition game versus FIBA’s No. 2 team, Spain, on Friday, Aug. 16. One of Spain’s marquee players is guard Sergio Llull, whom the Rockets still hold the NBA rights to.

The Washington Post‘s Ben Golliver reported Thursday that Tucker — known less for traditional statistics and more for his hard-nosed play, leadership, and versatile defense — is expected to make the final cut as Team USA’s “designated glue guy.”

At 34 years old, he is also the most veteran option available for Team USA. The 6-foot-6 Tucker was the only Rockets player to start all 82 games last year, and he is again slated to serve as Houston’s starting power forward for this coming season.

More immediately, among the World Cup roster finalists, Tucker’s competition for roster spots and minutes at the forward positions would seem to include Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (Celtics); Harrison Barnes (Kings); Joe Harris (Nets); Kyle Kuzma (Lakers); Khris Middleton (Bucks); and Thaddeus Young (Bulls).

If USA head coach Gregg Popovich is willing to use smaller lineups with Tucker at center, as we often saw Houston’s Mike D’Antoni do in the last two NBA postseasons, Tucker may also be competing for minutes with big men like Marvin Bagley III (Kings); Brook Lopez (Bucks); and Mason Plumlee (Nuggets).

Official World Cup games are scheduled from August 31 until September 15 in China, with the final 12-man roster not due until 48 hours before the first game. In first-round games, Team USA will play Czech Republic on Sept. 1, Turkey on Sept. 3, and Japan on Sept. 5.