Team USA maintained its undefeated record in the 2023 FIBA World Cup with a win over Montenegro by a score of 85-73, but it wasn’t pretty. Anthony Edwards led the way for the Americans with 17 points but wasn’t pulling his weight to start out.

Montenegro led at halftime and was down by just one late in the third quarter. Edwards went scoreless in the first half before notching all of his points in the second, shooting 7-11 in the half following an 0-5 performance in the first. At halftime, the Minnesota Timberwolves star realized he needed to pick it up, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

“I felt like I let my team down the first half, not being aggressive and stopped shooting after I went 0-for-5,” Anthony Edwards said, via ESPN. “Things that I don't normally do. So I had to talk to myself in the locker room to get myself going.”

Edwards has been one of the main driving forces for Team USA so far, coming through on both sides of the ball for the red, white and blue. The fact that they were able to secure a double-digit win once he started playing better shows his importance. It also shows that he can’t afford another poor half like that.

Montenegro dominated on the glass and secured 23 offensive rebounds. Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic had seven on his way to tallying a game-high 18 points and 16 total boards. However, the team did a poor job of taking care of the ball, giving it away 22 times. Five players on Team USA recorded multiple steals.

Austin Reaves shooting 9-11 from the free-throw line helped him score 12 points. The Los Angeles Lakers wing also had a game-high three steals. Jaren Jackson Jr. tallied 11 points and Tyrese Haliburton put up 10 points and six assists.

Team USA will surely be challenged on Sunday when they face Lithuania, a team led by New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanviunas and featuring numerous other players with NBA experience. A slow start in that game will not be as easy to bounce back from. Anthony Edwards, who confidently predicted victory for his squad, cannot be anything less than a rockstar in the next match.