MANILA – The United States men’s basketball team overcame a slow start to score a 109-81 rout of Greece in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup last night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Austin Reaves spearheaded the offense with 15 points, while Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards contributed 13 markers apiece and Bobby Portis Jr. ended up with 10 as Team USA moved closer to the round-of-16 with its 2-0 win-loss slate.
From a slim 23-19 lead after the first quarter, Team USA started to create separation from Greece in the second frame behind Brunson, Reaves and Paolo Banchero for a 50-37 halftime advantage.
Edwards unloaded consecutive hits to start the third quarter as The American pulled away further in the second half as the lead reached its largest at 107-76 on a basket by Portis late in the game.
Georgios Papagiannis finished with 17 points, with 11 coming in the first quarter, while Nikos Rogkavopoulos added 14 markers as Greece dropped to 1-1 win-loss record in Group C.
Meanwhile, Luka Dončić fell short of a triple-double as Slovenia notched its second straight victory with an 88-67 domination of Georgia at the Okinawa Arena in Okinawa, Japan.
The Dallas Mavericks star tallied 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists to go with three steals in 31 minutes of action, while Klemen Prepelic and Zoran Dragic added 15 and 12 markers, respectively.
Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nikola Jovic tallied 17 markers apiece, while Aleksa Avramovic added 12 markers as Serbia scored a lopsided 94-77 victory against Puerto Rico at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Solo Diabate, on the other hand, drilled three free throws as the Cote D’Ivoire scored a come-from-behind 71-69 win over Iran, while New Zealand weathered an offensive outburst by Jordan’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for a 95-87 overtime win.
South Sudan, for its part, recorded their first-ever FIBA World Cup victory after a lopsided 89-69 beating of China, while Cape Verde also attained the same feat with an 81-75 triumph over Venezuela.
BOX SCORE:
USA 109 – Reaves 15, Brunson 13, Edwards 13, Portis 10, Jackson 9, Bridges 9, Haliburton 9, Banchero 8, Johnson 8, Hart 6, Ingram 5, Kessler 4.
GREECE 81 – Papagiannis 17, Rogkavopoulos 14, Papapetrou 9, Walkup 9, Papanikoalaou 8, Bochoridis 8, Larentzakis 7, Lountzis 4, Moraitis 3, Antetokounmpo 2, Chatzidakis 0.
Quarterscores: 23-19, 50-37, 79-56, 109-81./PN
