Team USA entered the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup on a sour note after an upset defeat against Lithuania. In need of a bounceback effort against Italy in the elimination round Tuesday, Mikal Bridges was the star of the show for the red, white and blue.

Bridges poured in 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from three to go with seven rebounds, two steals and a block.

Bridges' offensive explosion in Team USA's first elimination game underscores his emergence as one of the NBA's top two-way players last season. After four seasons making a name for himself as a three-and-D complementary piece with the Phoenix Suns, Bridges was among the league's top offensive performers following a midseason trade to the Brooklyn Nets.

In 30 games with the Nets, Bridges averaged 27.7 points on 47/38/89 shooting splits with increased on-ball responsibilities. That elite efficiency has persisted through six World Cup games, with the 27-year-old averaging 12.2 points on 63.4 percent shooting (26-of-41) from the field and 50.0 percent (9-of-18) from three.

Bridges opened up on his offensive mindset at the World Cup stage following his explosion against Italy:

“I just stay aggressive, that’s what it is,” he said. “Just that force and being aggressive. We’re all confident. No matter how many points we score, we’re all ready. We’re all ready to make that shot, we’re all ready to make a play. That’s never gonna go nowhere.”

“We just got dogs in our locker room. We all know what we can do. We can all shoot, dribble, pass, defend, do everything. I mean look at the guys we’re playing with. Everyone can go out and score; everybody is the main guy on their team. We’re just ready for the moment. Anybody.”

Mikal Bridges will have an opportunity to earn his first All-Star selection in 2023-24 as he steps into his first full season as the Nets' top option. He'll first attempt to lead Team USA to gold as they advance to face the winner of Germany and Latvia in the semifinals Friday.