Team USA point guard Kemba Walker brushed off an illness en route to a convincing 16-point win over Brazil to finish off the secondary part of the group stage, racing to the quarterfinals as the top seed in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
Walker was considered probable despite the illness and took the floor against Brazil, likely knowing the team would be without Jayson Tatum for a third straight game after suffering an ankle injury in an overtime win against Turkey last week.
“I just wasn't feeling well,” said Walker, according to John Schuhmann of NBA.com. “It happens. I'm good, though. I got through it.”
Walker's struggle with the illness was nowhere to be seen on Monday's outing, leading the way for the Americans with 16 points apiece next to big man Myles Turner. Walker canned six of his nine shot attempts and racked up five assists in the win, pacing Team USA through the fifth straight win in the competition.
The Boston Celtics new point man has been an even-keeled presence as a floor general, averaging a steady 14.6 points and 6.0 assists through this group phase and now bound for an even bigger task against France in the quarterfinals.
Both Tatum and Walker are expected to be back and available to play on Wednesday. Walker will have two more days to shake off the illness bug while Tatum has already been a full participant in practice and sat out Monday merely for precautionary reasons.
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