(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: Team USA notched its second win in Group “C” pool play with a dominant performance over Greece on Monday, August 28th. The team was brilliantly led by L.A. Lakers rising star, #15/Austin Reaves who went to work instantly and fashioned himself a tremendous game stat-line.
Head Coach Steve Kerr and his Assistant Coaches, Tyrone Lue, (L.A. Clippers), Erik Spoelstra, (Miami Heat), and highly acclaimed, NCAA Division-1 Head Coach, Mark Few (Gonzaga), have coached and crafted their line-ups to play “full out” in this International crown jewel tournament, knowing that the whole world is watching every move they make.
ADVERTISEMENT
We now bring you our coverage directly from the USA Basketball Communications team. Read below their account of this win and where the Team has positioned itself to move forward and deeper into this World Cup competition. For the first time, we are seeing numerous countries that are showcasing their national team players who have gained that highly valuable NBA experience and are now established as top-flight players in their respective countries.
USA Improves to 2-0 at World Cup with 109-81 Win Over Greece
The United States improved to 2-0 at the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup with a 109-81 win over Greece on Monday night at Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.
The USA is in Group C, and will face Jordan on Wednesday (1:40 a.m. PST /4:40 a.m. ET). The game can be seen on ESPN2 or ESPN+. The U.S. is seeking its sixth FIBA Men’s World Cup gold medal.
[TEAM NOTES]
Here is a full TEAM USA photo taken before the start of its FIBA World Cup tournament game. The team, which was selected and now overseen by USA Basketball, is playing all of its contests in the ultra modern SM Mall of Asia Arena, Manila, Philippines. Photo Credit: FIBA[Starting Out]: For the seventh straight game, the USA called upon Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Mikal Bridges, Brandon Ingram and Jaren Jackson Jr. as starters.
[Worth Noting]: With this 109-81 win, the USA is 19-2 all-time versus Greece and 5-1 all-time in World Cup competition. It marks the second win in 10 days for the Americans over Greece (Aug. 18, 108-86) after the two teams met in Abu Dhabi for the USA Basketball Showcase.
[Preliminary Excellence]: The U.S. moves to 59-2 all-time in preliminary games. Of note, 14 of the USA’s last 16 preliminary games have had win margins of greater than 20 points. The U.S. has scored more than 90 points in 10 of their last 11 games in World Cup preliminary rounds.
[Big on the Boards]: For the second straight game, the U.S. won the rebounding battle (40-25) and had a +4 margin in the paint. The U.S. outscored Greece 13-6 on second chance points.
Charity Night in Manila: The USA shot 30-for-34 (88%) from the free throw line. It marked the first time since Aug. 20, 2006 (vs. China) that the U.S. made 30+ free throws in a game. The USA was a perfect 18-for-18 in the first half.
[Points All Around]: All 12 players got into the scoring column, with Austin Reaves (15), Brunson (13), Edwards (13) and Bobby Portis (10) registering double-figures. Nine players scored 8+ points. Walker Kessler recorded points for the first time this tournament with four.
ADVERTISEMENT
[PLAYER NOTES]
[We’ve got Hart]: Josh Hart came off the bench to record a team-high 11 rebounds, while also contributing six points and five assists. Hart had the team’s second-best efficiency rating (22).
[Player of the Game]: Manila fan-favorite Reaves was named the TCL Player of the Game with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds. He had a team-best 23 efficiency score and was +19 on the night.
[Perfect From the Field]: Brunson (5-5 FG) and Hart (2-2 FG) were perfect from the field. Portis also shot an impressive 4-for-5 (80%).
[What’s Next]
USA vs. JORDAN | Aug. 30, 2023 at 1:40 PST/4:40 a.m. ET | Manila, Philippines |Watch on: ESPN2/ESPN+
