OK, so maybe Team USA is hitting its peak. It may be a little early to peak, but the American federation will take it.
Stifling defense against Giannis Antetokounmpo helped the Americans to a 69-53 victory over the Greek national team, giving Team USA a 4-0 record that they will take into Monday’s game against Brazil, which sustained a stunning 22-point loss to the Czech Republic on Saturday.
The USA held Greece to 31.8 percent shooting from the field (21-66 FGs) and 2019 NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) to just 15 points.
“We played a very experienced team, really well coached, and one that was really physical and executes really well,” said Gregg Popovich (USA and San Antonio Spurs head coach). “So, it was a good test for us and it helped us get better. And that’s our goal, to try to get better in every one of these games.”
“The defense is ahead of the offense, for sure, but that’s expected with 12 guys who’ve never played with each other before,” Popovich added. “It’s pretty easy to figure out. Each day that we have, we work on our execution to get better and better, and these coaches will learn what’s best for this group of guys.”
Kemba Walker (Boston Celtics) had 15 points and six assists; Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz), playing on his 23rd birthday, finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists; and Harrison Barnes (Sacramento Kings) and Derrick White (San Antonio Spurs) each finished with nine points.
The USA outrebounded Greece 50-40, and Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics) was the USA’s leading rebounder with nine boards to go with his eight points, while Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers) recorded eight points and seven boards.
“Not too bad,” Mitchell said. “First time ever playing on my birthday. It’s awesome – to be able to get a win like this from all around play. We came in ready. We put a lot of pressure on them. Obviously, there were times when we made a few mistakes, but we bounced right back and got stops. We didn’t shoot it too great, but that’s where the defense that Pop (Popovich) has been talking about takes care of it. We got to be able to stay locked in and continue doing this throughout the rest of the tournament, not get too happy with just this one win.”
The USA’s World Cup win streak now is at 23 games, and the U.S. has won 57 consecutive games in FIBA competitions dating back to the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup, when the USA lost to Greece.
Team USA is listed as an 18 1/2 point favorite for Monday’s game against Brazil. They opened as 9 1/2 point favorites against Greece, and the line got bumped down to 8 1/2 … in large part because the Americans were using only 10 players.
Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics is expected back for the game against Brazil, whose roster includes NBA veterans Anderson Varejao, Leandro Barbosa, Chriistiano Felicio (Chicago Bulls) and Marcelhino Huertas.
There are seven undefeated teams remaining: Team USA, Poland, Argentina, Serbia, Spain, France and Australia. Poland, which plays against Argentina on Sunday, is 200-1 to win the tournament.
Also Sunday, in the classification round, China plays Nigeria with a berth in the 2020 Olympics at stake.
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OK, so maybe Team USA is hitting its peak. It may be a little early to peak, but the American federation will take it.
Stifling defense against Giannis Antetokounmpo helped the Americans to a 69-53 victory over the Greek national team, giving Team USA a 4-0 record that they will take into Monday’s game against Brazil, which sustained a stunning 22-point loss to the Czech Republic on Saturday.
The USA held Greece to 31.8 percent shooting from the field (21-66 FGs) and 2019 NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) to just 15 points.
“We played a very experienced team, really well coached, and one that was really physical and executes really well,” said Gregg Popovich (USA and San Antonio Spurs head coach). “So, it was a good test for us and it helped us get better. And that’s our goal, to try to get better in every one of these games.”
“The defense is ahead of the offense, for sure, but that’s expected with 12 guys who’ve never played with each other before,” Popovich added. “It’s pretty easy to figure out. Each day that we have, we work on our execution to get better and better, and these coaches will learn what’s best for this group of guys.”
Kemba Walker (Boston Celtics) had 15 points and six assists; Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz), playing on his 23rd birthday, finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists; and Harrison Barnes (Sacramento Kings) and Derrick White (San Antonio Spurs) each finished with nine points.
The USA outrebounded Greece 50-40, and Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics) was the USA’s leading rebounder with nine boards to go with his eight points, while Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers) recorded eight points and seven boards.
“Not too bad,” Mitchell said. “First time ever playing on my birthday. It’s awesome – to be able to get a win like this from all around play. We came in ready. We put a lot of pressure on them. Obviously, there were times when we made a few mistakes, but we bounced right back and got stops. We didn’t shoot it too great, but that’s where the defense that Pop (Popovich) has been talking about takes care of it. We got to be able to stay locked in and continue doing this throughout the rest of the tournament, not get too happy with just this one win.”
The USA’s World Cup win streak now is at 23 games, and the U.S. has won 57 consecutive games in FIBA competitions dating back to the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup, when the USA lost to Greece.
Team USA is listed as an 18 1/2 point favorite for Monday’s game against Brazil. They opened as 9 1/2 point favorites against Greece, and the line got bumped down to 8 1/2 … in large part because the Americans were using only 10 players.
Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics is expected back for the game against Brazil, whose roster includes NBA veterans Anderson Varejao, Leandro Barbosa, Chriistiano Felicio (Chicago Bulls) and Marcelhino Huertas.
There are seven undefeated teams remaining: Team USA, Poland, Argentina, Serbia, Spain, France and Australia. Poland, which plays against Argentina on Sunday, is 200-1 to win the tournament.
Also Sunday, in the classification round, China plays Nigeria with a berth in the 2020 Olympics at stake.