Team USA smothered Giannis Antetokounmpo and raced past Greece with a convincing 69-53 win on Saturday, getting its first win of the second round of the 2019 FIBA World Cup and improving to 4-0 in competition.
Kemba Walker led the way for Team USA, which struggled to hit from the floor, mustering a pedestrian 36% for the game. Jaylen Brown (eight points, nine rebounds) shined in the absence of Jayson Tatum, taking on most of the transition opportunities, but struggled to hit his free throws — missing the only two the Americans would fail to hit in the game (14-of-16). The U.S eventually went into a five-out lineup to get Greece to pick its poison, now able to hurt them from the perimeter or with drives.
Gregg Popovich's team had a clear mission: stop Giannis Antetokounmpo and leave the Greek offense to others' hands. Naturally, the Americans put their foot on the throttle once the reigning MVP hit the bench, but Greece's outside attack from Kostas Sloukas kept them afloat in the scoreboard.
The Americans stretched their lead to 13 in the closing seconds of the second quarter, closing it out with a series of smart, tactical fouls to take the double-digit lead into halftime.
The U.S. led by 17 going into the fourth as Greece struggled to hit perimeter shots, but faced a scare as the opposition closed the lead to 11 with 4:30 left in regulation. A Harrison Barnes emphatic breakaway slam would seal the win for Team USA, which has managed to truck along in this tournament despite an undermanned roster and several questions regarding its depth and talent level, compared to teams in the past.
Harrison Barnes with the monster dunk on Thanasis Antetokoumpo. pic.twitter.com/AbwJQnek17
— Highlights & Hoops (@BasketballHigh8) September 7, 2019
Under the new format, teams carry on their group stage record to this second stage for a two-game playoff to determine the two teams who will move onto the quarterfinals and avoid elimination. The U.S. currently leads Group K with four wins and no losses, moving ahead of the Czech Republic and Brazil with three wins and a loss for each. Greece is now at the bottom of Group K with two wins and two losses, now also depending of other results to qualify for the single-elimination rounds.
Team USA will face Brazil next on Monday at 8:30 a.m. ET, game which can be viewed on ESPN+ (subscription only).
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