The gold medal chase for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup has shockingly come to an end as the United States fell to Germany in the semifinals after a poor defensive and rebounding performance. Germany managed 113 points in 40 minutes of play, winning a 113-111 shootout.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves was one of the leaders for Team USA in the surprising loss. Anthony Edwards led the way with 23 points and eight rebounds on 10-for-17 from the field, but Reaves was just behind with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Reaves also hit three of his five 3-point attempts and was a plus-one for the game, one of four United States players to have a positive plus-minus. Mikal Bridges (17) and Jalen Brunson (15) were the other double figure scorers for Team USA.
Germany had six players in double figures, including former Laker Dennis Schroder, who finished with 17 points and nine assists on 7-of-13 shooting. NBA players Daniel Theis (21), Franz Wagner (22) and Moe Wagner (10) also had strong performances in the upset Germany victory.
This is a disappointing outcome for Team USA, who came into the World Cup with not only hopes, but expectations of fighting for a championship. Instead, Germany will go on to play Serbia in the championship game while USA will have to settle for a battle for third place against Canada.
The United States played well offensively, shooting 58.5% from the field as a team and 48.0% from three. They turned the ball over only nine times over the course of the 40 minutes. They hit 23-of-24 free throws and won the battle in nearly every major scoring category.
However, their defense failed them in the World Cup semifinal, as Germany was efficient and effective from everywhere on the court and got contributions from several players, including some that are not NBA players.
Next up for Team USA
A third place battle with Canada now awaits the United States.
Canada, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is far from an easy win. At 5-2, the United States cannot afford to go into another game with the expectation of a victory. Canada defeated Slovenia 100-89 in the first round of the knockout phase of the tournament.
Canada is led by Gilgeous-Alexander but has a host of NBA players on their roster. Lu Dort, RJ Barrett, Dwight Powell, Kelly Olynyk, Dillon Brooks and Nickell Alexander-Walker are all featured players for Canada. If the U.S. is not careful, they could find themselves finishing outside the top three.
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