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In their Saturday friendly matchup against Slovenia without Luka Doncic, Team USA quickly took a 7-0 lead and never looked back.
In the second of five exhibition games before the 2023 FIBA World Cup, they won 92-62 after maintaining a double-digit lead for the majority of the day.
Anthony Edwards led the way in scoring for the second straight game with 15 points, while Tyrese Haliburton (10 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists), Jalen Brunson (11 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists), and Austin Reaves (10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) all put in strong all-around efforts.
Nine players tallied at least seven points, and everyone on the roster scored, making it a true team effort.
The only negative aspect of this game was the American team’s poor 3-point shooting, which persisted. The Americans made 9 of 33 shots against Slovenia, improving from their earlier this week 6-of-27 three-point shooting performance against Puerto Rico.
It’s important to note that only Brunson, along with Cameron Johnson, Haliburton, Reaves, and Bridges, finished in the top 75 in the NBA for 3-point shooting last season. No other players on the roster cracked the top 30.
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Team USA’s Shooting Struggles
They produce so many quality looks that you would anticipate an improvement in shooting, yet this could be this team’s weak point.
It’s crucial to remember that only Brunson, along with Cameron Johnson, Haliburton, Reaves, and Bridges, finished among the top 75 NBA players in 3-point shooting last year. On the roster, no other players made the top 30.
They create so many high-quality looks that an improvement in shooting would be expected, yet this might actually be this team’s weak spot.
The real games will then start at that point. All of Team USA’s World Cup matches will be played in Manila, Philippines, along with matches for Greece, Jordan, and New Zealand.
The games will take place from August 26 to 30, and to move on to the second round of the competition, they must place in the top two.
The Americans are under tremendous pressure in every big tournament, but this year it is much more since they stumbled to a seventh-place finish at the 2019 World Cup.
The United States last won the World Cup in 2014, and they are tied with Yugoslavia for the most gold medals ever with five.
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Source: CBS Sports
