The U.S. basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the FIBA 2023 FIBA World Cup. FIBA 2023 World Cup. The Americans crushed Italy, 100-63, in Manila on Tuesday to secure a spot in the final four of the tournament.
Team USA took a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter against Italy and never looked back. Mikal Bridges led all scorers with 24 points and made 8 of 11 shots from the field.
United States Shows Its Sporting Superiority
Tyrese Haliburton added 18 points and hit six three-pointers off the bench in a drubbing in which Team USA led by 30 or more points for most of the second half.
It was the kind of response Team USA was looking for after it lost its final second-round game to Lithuania on Sunday.
Team USA has already secured a better World Cup result than in 2019, when it finished seventh.
Many U.S. fans considered Anthony Edwards to be the ideal leading scorer for Team USA prior to the FIBA 2023 World Cup.
While the Minnesota Timberwolves star scored 35 points in the loss to Lithuania, his offense has been inconsistent in the tournament. Edwards totaled just three points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field and three assists on Tuesday.
He is likely to perform better before it's all over, but there is no need to make him the center of attention with so many capable players on the team.
Bridges has matched or bettered his point production in every appearance in this tournament and was clearly the engine that propelled Team USA through the quarterfinals.
The Brooklyn Nets forward was efficient with 8-of-11 shooting from the field and contributed two steals and a block on the defensive end.
Then there's Haliburton, who has proven to be a valuable spark off the bench alongside Austin Reaves over the past five weeks.
The best 4 in the WORLD! 🌎
FIBA World Cup Semi-Finals 🏀-USA 🇺🇸 vs Germany 🇩🇪
-Canada 🇨🇦 vs vs Serbia 🇷🇸Who will be the CHAMPION pic.twitter.com/5dB6pfDDDmu
- All Sport News (@All_SportNews) September 6, 2023
U.S. Seeks Higher Level In Semifinals
Team USA will face Germany in the FIBA Basketball World Cup semifinals on Friday. Germany posted a solid 81-79 victory over Latvia to qualify to face the Americans.
Although the U.S. shines, the team remains focused on improving. Lack of zone presence had a lot to do with Team USA's loss to Lithuania and continues to be a glaring weakness for the Americans.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Paolo Banchero and Bobby Portis are the mainstays of the rotation at the power forward and center positions, but bigger teams could take advantage of this duo.
Jackson is the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, but he got into foul trouble early, picking up two fouls in less than three minutes in the first quarter. He played less than 11 minutes in the game and was held to two points and three rebounds.
Banchero and Portis were much more effective. This trend cannot continue if Team USA wants to avoid a serious challenge on its way to the gold medal game.
Germany's more skilled inside players may pose a greater threat to the United States than Italy did. Italy lost the rebounding battle overall, but won the offensive rebounding battle 9-8.
Giving up too many second-try opportunities can only come back to haunt the American team.
Team USA recorded its second-highest win differential in this tournament against Italy, and long-range shooting helped fuel their success. They made no more three-pointers than Montenegro or Lithuania in the second half of the group stage.
