Team USA advances to the FIBA World Cup’s second round after defeating Greece 109-81

The United States has already advanced to the 2023 FIBA World Cup’s second round in only two contests, after beating Greece 109-81 this Monday. Lakers star Austin Reaves guided Team USA once again to victory with a team-high 15 points, against a European side that couldn’t find the correct formula against the winning squad’s offensive chemistry. 

Head coach Steve Kerr felt extremely satisfied after the match, as he assured that the national team completed the game plan to perfection. As the trainer knew the Greeks were physically strong rivals, he knew wearing them down ever since the start of the game would be crucial to victory.

“Really good effort from our guys. Our thought process every game is to wear the opponent down. We’re a 12-deep roster and we’re just trying to stay solid on every possession and really put pressure on the opponent and we really needed to do that tonight because Greece played very well. That first half they stayed with us the whole half and as Jalen said, it’s a team that’s very well-coached. Tough, physical, we had to play very well and eventually, we broke the dam and opened up the game,” he said after the match.

You can check out the highlights of this match in Manila, Philippines in the video above.

Introducing center Jaren Jackson Jr. was also an important decision, as opponent Thomas Walkup had made 11 points of Greece’s first 17. Once the NBA’s best defender was on the floor, he could cover him and Thanasis Antetokounmpo and protect the rim.

“It’s a good reminder to all of us that you just can’t ease into any game in this tournament. The level of competition is so much better now worldwide than eight years ago. A lot of really good talent around the world and coaching. Teams are really good and we’re going to have to play well over 40 minutes to win so we’re really excited to win the first two and guarantee ourselves a move to the next round but we just keep going. One game at a time and hopefully six more,” Kerr said.

Team USA’s unsung hero was Knicks star Josh Hart, who came off the bench won 11 rebounds throughout the contest

New York guard Josh Hart came off the bench and produced an incredible game for Team USA this Monday, tallying 6 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Once the game was over, the Warriors trainer showered the Knicks star in praise, and hailed him as the team’s glue and a winning player.

“People ask what position he plays, he plays winner you know? I don’t know what position he plays. He gets loose balls, he guards anybody. At one point Spo turned to me and said, some people get 50-50 balls, he gets the 30-70 balls and I thought that was really well said. He just makes these plays with his effort and his physicality and his toughness and also his skill,” Kerr expressed. “He just has a unique game and what he does translates to winning.”

Josh Hart had 10 rebounds off the bench, the first player from the USA to do it in a FIBA World Cup game since 2014 when DeMarcus Cousins did it twice, according to FIBA official stats. pic.twitter.com/dJEcpOHCmC

— Nicole Ganglani (@nicoleganglani) August 28, 2023

The way things are going, the United States are the only team that remains undefeated in Group C, which means they’ve already qualified for the next round. As only two squads advance per group, the last spot will be fought between Greece (1-1), New Zealand (1-1) and Jordan (0-2) this week.

Team USA’s next contest this Wednesday for their final group match against Jordan at the Mall of Asia Arena, Philippines.