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Team USA survived its toughest test yet in the 2023 FIBA World Cup with an 85-73 second-round win over Montenegro on Friday in Manila. After cruising via their crew degree video games with a median margin of victory of 34.3 issues, the Americans needed to dig deep towards a veteran Montenegrin facet led by means of Nikola Vucevic and have been ready to drag away down the stretch. While there may be nonetheless yet one more second-round recreation to move towards Lithuania, Friday’s effects imply Team USA has already clinched a place in the quarterfinals.
As they have got in plenty of video games thus far in this match, the Americans were given off to a sluggish get started. It took just about six mins for them to in the end achieve double figures, and so they trailed for far of the primary quarter. Though they ultimately began to get up, the sport remained a back-and-forth affair, with neither facet ready to achieve a lot of a bonus.
At halftime, Montenegro held a one-point lead, and so they have been nonetheless in entrance as past due because the 6:46 mark of the 3rd quarter. That’s when Mikal Bridges hit a 3-pointer to tie issues up. A couple of seconds later, Anthony Edwards were given to the road for 2 loose throws to offer the Americans a 48-46 lead, which they by no means relinquished. It wasn’t for a loss of making an attempt from Montenegro, alternatively, who remained inside a couple of possessions till the overall couple of minutes.
As consistent with same old, it used to be the Edwards display for Team USA. The Minnesota Timberwolves famous person struggled early on, however grew to become it on after the wreck, scoring all 17 of his team-high issues in the second one part to paved the way. In addition to his go-ahead loose throws in the 3rd quarter, he made some large performs past due in the fourth, together with a scouse borrow and a dunk with 5 mins to play that driven the Americans’ result in seven and gave them some respiring room.
Austin Reaves persisted to turn his significance, chipping in 12 issues with 9 of them coming from the loose throw line. His talent to get into the paint and earn some simple issues at the road used to be the most important early in the sport when Team USA wasn’t taking pictures the ball that smartly. As a crew, the Americans shot 20-of-30 from the road, and whilst that could be a deficient share, the ones issues proved to be the adaptation; in a 12-point win, they outscored Montenegro by means of 12 at the foul line.
Next up for Team USA is some other tricky opponent in Lithuania on Sunday. New Orleans Pelicans giant guy Jonas Valanciunas figures to be an actual drawback in the paint, particularly making an allowance for how a lot injury Vucevic did on Friday, completing with 18 issues and 16 rebounds, with seven being offensive.
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