PAU (National Team) - Luol Deng's long-awaited debut for Great Britain ended in a behind-closed-doors 65-63 defeat to Georgia.

Chicago Bulls star Deng finished as the leading scorer for GB with a haul of 19 points, while guard Nate Reinking added 15, 10 of those coming in the fourth quarter as the Brits attempted to haul themselves back from a seven-point deficit.

Sudan-born Deng, who was cleared to play for his adopted country last October, found his introduction to senior international competition a tough one, struggling with the lack of space on offer.

The six-foot nine-inch forward attracted double and triple teams whenever he drove, and shot five out of 12 from two-point range and connected on two of seven attempts from the three-point arc.

The 22-year-old was notably frustrated after the game, which was a scrappy, ill-tempered affair watched by only a few members of the public.

There were a few typical Deng highlights, however. A first-half swoop to the basket off a pass from Reinking deserved a wider audience, as did a second-half drive past two defenders that almost resulted in his first dunk for his country. 

The other talking point of the match concerned another NBA player, Zaza Pachulia of Atlanta Hawks, who was ejected in the third quarter for striking Great Britain back-up centre Eric Boateng, whose reaction also earned a rejection.

Manuchar Markoishvili, who led Georgia with 17 points, took up the reins after the ejection of Pachulia.

The latter's 12 points were instrumental in Georgia retaking the lead after the sides went into the interval tied at 32-32.

The game was the first of two warm-up internationals between the teams ahead of their respective Eurobasket qualifying games.

FIBA