By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Team USA finished the FIBA World Cup First Round with a convincing 98-45 win over Japan in Group E. USA won all three of their games so far and advanced as a first-placed team while Japan lost all three.
All ten of Team USA’s players scored while Jayson Tatum – who is injured – and Marcus Smart didn’t play this game.
Jaylen Brown led the victors with 20 points while Kemba Walker added 15 and Harrison Barnes 14 points. Walker also dished eight assists while Barnes grabbed eight rebounds.
Coach Gregg Popovich was satisfied: “I think we’re getting better with each outing. That’s our goal. We haven’t been together very long, and I think our players are enjoying playing together and understanding the consistency that is necessary to do what we have to do as a team to be successful. They were very serious tonight, and they respected the Japanese team very much. They didn’t take anything for granted and they played hard. I was pleased with their performance.”
For Japan, Judai Baba was the only double-digit scorer with 18 points. Yuta Watanabe helped with nine points in addition to Rui Hachimura’s four.
The American squad was up 23-8 after ten minutes and 56-23 at halftime during which they nailed ten threes – out of 23 attempts. They continued dominating the opponent leading by as much as 62 points (96-34) and closing the game.
Game Highlights:
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL