Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images
While the USA men’s national basketball team had some concerns entering the FIBA World Cup, it still opened the tournament on a positive note.
In its World Cup opener against the Czech Republic on Sunday, USA notched an 88-67 victory to open their Group E campaign. It was a strong way to begin the tournament after it lost to Australia during its exhibition slate, which ended a 78-game international winning streak that spanned 13 years.
Even though it’s missing some key players, Team USA remains among the favorites to win the FIBA World Cup, and it should cruise during pool play to build momentum for the rest of the tournament.
Here’s everything you need to know heading into USA’s second World Cup matchup against Turkey.
Game Information
Date: Tuesday, Sept. 3
Time: 8:30 a.m. ET
Live Stream: ESPN+
Odds (via OddsChecker): USA -21.5
Preview
In Team USA’s exhibition loss to Australia, it gave up 98 points. That’s too many to be successful during international competition, so that was an area that had to be better when FIBA World Cup games started.
It’s improved recently, as USA has held its last two opponents—an exhibition game against Canada and its World Cup opener against the Czech Republic—below 70 points.
That type of defense could be the key to Team USA having a successful run through the FIBA World Cup and perhaps becoming the first team to win the championship three straight times.
So, has the USA coaching staff been happy with the improvements in that area?
“Happy is not a word that coaches employ, because we’re sick puppies and probably never happy,” USA coach Gregg Popovich said, according to ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst. “But defense has to be our calling card. We’ve got to put our money there. All in all, it’s getting better.”
In USA’s win over the Czech Republic, Donovan Mitchell led the way with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting, while Harrison Barnes (14 points), Kemba Walker (13) and Jayson Tatum (10) also had solid showings.
The Czech Republic kept it close early, with only three points in it after the first quarter, but the Americans led by 14 at halftime and controlled the second half to earn the victory.
“It’s a different game than the NBA; it’s a lot more physical,” Walker said, per Windhorst. “We’re Team USA, we’re going to get everybody’s best shot, especially physically. Teams are going to be tough against us. We just have to hold our composure and be tough and play through everything.”
Turkey also won its FIBA World Cup opener with a 86-67 victory over Japan. Ersan Ilyasova scored 19 points, and Melih Mahmutoglu added 17 to lead Turkey to the win.
It’s likely that Team USA notches another victory, moving one win away from having a perfect showing during pool play. But Turkey could play a competitive game and keep it close early, so it could be an exciting first half. However, expect USA to take control for a convincing victory to move to 2-0 in the tournament.
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