The primary required step on the Basketball World Cup for the People is now full. They’re going to the event’s second spherical.
An achievement, technically — however one barely price acknowledging.
Successful gold is the one aim for the People on this end-of-summer journey to Manila, and Monday was simply one other step in the direction of getting there. Austin Reaves led a balanced scoring effort with 15 factors and the U.S. topped Greece 109-81 to clinch a spot within the second spherical that begins Friday.
“There’s solely actually one factor that will get us excited out right here,” U.S. guard Tyrese Haliburton stated. “We’ve received to deal with enterprise each night time to have the ability to try this.”
Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards every scored 13 for the People, who haven’t misplaced in seven video games total this summer time. Brunson made all 5 of his pictures, Bobby Portis had 10 factors and Josh Hart grabbed 11 rebounds for the winners.
The win, mixed with New Zealand’s 95-87 additional time victory over Jordan earlier Monday, ensured that the U.S. is shifting on. The People will end group play towards Jordan on Wednesday, then play Lithuania and Montenegro — in some order — on Friday and Sunday in Spherical 2.
“We’re actually excited to win the primary two and to ensure ourselves shifting to the following spherical,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr stated. “However we simply carry on, one sport at a time — and, hopefully, six extra.”
Georgios Papagiannis led Greece with 17 factors. Nikos Rogkavopoulous added 14.
“We couldn’t compete the best way we wished to,” Greece coach Dimitrios Itoudis stated. “We wished them to really feel us somewhat bit on the courtroom.”
Attending to the second spherical isn’t precisely a shock for the U.S., the present event favourite and a crew in search of a sixth World Cup gold medal. There was no actual gold-medal contender in Group C together with the U.S., and the People adopted up a 27-point win over New Zealand in Saturday’s opener with a 28-point victory that was by no means unsure Monday.
However France — the reigning Olympic silver medalist — getting eradicated in Spherical 1 of this World Cup served as a reminder: Even for basketball superpowers, nothing is assured anymore. And the U.S. took a businesslike strategy to get previous Greece.
“All respect to Greece,” Brunson stated. “That crew over there, they play exhausting, they’re well-coached. Quite a lot of respect for that squad. And for us, we’re nonetheless getting higher.”
Greece is enjoying this summer time with out its greatest participant, two-time NBA MVP and 2021 NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. He stated he wanted extra time to get better from offseason knee surgical procedure.
With out Giannis, Greece went to Papagiannis as a substitute.
The previous lottery choose — taken No. 13 within the 2016 draft — performed 39 video games within the league with Sacramento and Portland, final showing within the NBA in 2018. He offered a flash of what he may do, scoring 11 factors within the first quarter, 15 within the half, and making an attempt to maintain Greece’s upset shot afloat.
It wasn’t wherever close to sufficient. The U.S. lead was 50-37 on the half, and pushed the margin out to 79-56 going into the ultimate 10-minute interval.
“We’re 12 deep on our roster and we’re simply making an attempt to remain stable on each possession and put stress on the opponent,” Kerr stated. “We wanted to try this tonight. … Finally, we broke the dam and opened up the sport.”