Team USA has done well for themselves during exhibition play and after a thrilling win over Spain, they followed it up with a convincing 108-86 win over Greece.
Greece is playing without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament due to knee procedure, though they are still considered to be the United States’ biggest competition in the group stage when the World Cup starts next week.
The Americans got off to a quick start in the first quarter, scoring efficiently from the field and building a 32-17 lead. Greece was able to chip into the deficit in the second quarter, but the United States still head an 11-point advantage at halftime.
Team USA left no doubt in the second half as they continued to execute well on both ends, playing balanced basketball en route to their fourth consecutive victory. All 12 players on the team scored, a positive sign in what was the team’s most complete game as a group so far.
Anthony Edwards led the way in scoring for the U.S., dropping an efficient 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting in just 17 minutes. The young Timberwolves star has shined in international play and is looking more and more like the leader of the young roster.
Cam Johnson has been a solid piece for the national team as his outside shooting as opened up the floor for the rest of his teammates. Johnson pitched in with 13 points, with nine of them coming from beyond the arc.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been one of the most consistent players for the squad and that trend continued as he scored 11 points off the bench. Reaves is an established part of the rotation and was able to make plays on both ends to help the U.S. to another impressive victory.
While the U.S. should be happy with the win, there are still areas they can clean up. The Americans committed 20 turnovers, allowing Greece to hang around much longer than they should have. Rebounding also continues to be a sore spot as teams have taken advantage of second-chance points.
For the Greeks, Nikos Rogkavopoulos and Panagiotis Kalaitzakis led the way with 12 points apiece.
Next up for Team USA
Team USA wraps up exhibition play against Germany on Sunday, Aug. 20. From there, they will fly to the Philippines where they will play their first three games of group play against New Zealand (Aug. 26), Greece (Aug 28.) and Jordan (Aug. 30).
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