(East Los Angeles,CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: Team USA does what and whatever it needs to do, and that’s to intimidate its opponent, no matter the depth or talent that it faces in the opposition. Just ask the country of Jordan that the USA had to play in the FIBA regulation time of (40:00) minutes, via the (4) 10 minute periods that constitute an international game. They were dominated and rocked for a (110-62) loss to the Red, White, and Blue.
And so, the Filipino nation and its loving, die-hard, and loyal basketball “aficionados” continue to immensely enjoy while watching the world’s “creme de la creme” compete in their country. What a great way to showcase all of the world in just one World Cup Tournament. Significant Congrats are in store for FIBA, the world’s governing body of the sport.
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Let’s take a look at how the Jordanian team matched up against our TEAM USA, per the game summary and description by the hard-working USA Basketball Communications Team.
USA Beats Jordan 110-62, Finish Atop Group C at World Cup
The United States beat Jordan 110-62 on 8/30 in Manila, Philippines, to finish atop Group “C” in the first round of pool play at the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup.
The USA will open the second round with Montenegro on Friday before facing Lithuania on Sunday. The U.S. is seeking its sixth FIBA Men’s World Cup gold medal.
[TEAM NOTES]
[Starting Out]: The United States used a different starting lineup for the first time vs. Jordan: Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Jaren Jackson Jr. Hart made his first start of the summer after grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds in the USA’s win over Greece on Monday night.
Captured in his TEAM USA individual FIBA World Cup photo is #12 Josh Hart, the 6-4 backcourt player for the New York Knicks. Hart has fit right into Coach Kerr’s plans to have his steady play directing the team’s high-powered offense. His game stat-line for this match-up was an astounding (12) rebounds, while adding (3) assists, (2) points, and (1) steal in just (17:47) minutes of play. Photo: FIBA[Worth Noting]: This easily earned 110-62 win marked the first-ever meeting between the two countries at the FIBA Men’s World Cup. With the win, the U.S. finishes the first round of pool play with a perfect 3-0 record.
[Starting Strong]: The USA had their best opening quarter of the summer, topping Jordan 31-12. The Americans didn’t trail on Wednesday. All 11players who saw first-half action scored in the first 20 minutes.
Preliminary Excellence: The U.S. moves to 60-2 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 21 of their last 23 games in World Cup preliminary rounds.
100-Point Club: With 110 points on Wednesday afternoon, the Americans notched back-to-back 100+ point games at the World Cup for the first time since 2006 (Senegal, 103; Australia, 113).
[PLAYER NOTES]
[Birthday Boy]: Bridges celebrated his 27th birthday in Manila with nine points, three rebounds, three steals and one assist. Of note, Brunson will celebrate his 27th birthday Thursday and Brandon Ingram his 26th birthday on Sept. 2. Edwards celebrated his 22nd birthday in Las Vegas during training camp.
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[A+ for Ant]: Edwards led the USA with 22 points and eight rebounds in just 19 minutes to earn TCL Player of the Game honors. In the first half, Edwards scored 18 points and notched all eight of his rebounds. Edwards is the USA’s leading scorer through three games at the World Cup (16.3 ppg).
[Still Got Hart]: For the second straight game, Hart led the USA in rebounds with 12. He’s leading the U.S with 9.0 rebounds per game.
