MANILA, Philippines — There was nothing at stake at Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, with both Team USA and Lithuania having already secured two of eight positions in the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals. Steve Kerr's program had already qualified for the 2024 Olympics. And yet, 12 men with 'Lietuva' printed across their chest opened the contest with flames in their eyes and caught fire from distance.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES - SEPTEMBER 03: Jalen Brunson #11 of the United States controls the ball against Tomas Dimsa #33 of Lithuania in the fourth quarter during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2nd Round Group J game at Mall of Asia Arena on September 03, 2023 in Manila, Philippines. MANILA, Philippines — There was nothing at stake at Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, with both Team USA and Lithuania having already secured two of eight positions in the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals.
“We were on our heels that whole first half,” Kerr said. “They were carving us up, and we definitely had some miscommunications.” “That’s on me,” said starting point guard Jalen Brunson, Team USA’s captain. “I gotta come ready to play, and I gotta have everybody else ready to play.” Kerr still prefers to deploy smaller, faster units that are designed to outrace any opponent in transition, but in practice have been battered and bruised on both sides of the glass in this second round. After Montenegro outrebounded Team USA 49-31 and claimed a 22-3 advantage in second-chance points, Lithuania muscled 43 boards compared to the Americans’ 27, en route to a 17-2 edge in second-chance scoring.