Team USA defeats New Zealand in World Cup opener
Manila, Philippines — The USA Men’s National Basketball Team continued their surge in the FIBA World Cup opener, defeating New Zealand 99–72 to start the Group C matchup stage on Saturday.
After a blitzing start, New Zealand took advantage of a slow start from the U.S. with a 14-4 lead out of the gate. Despite their slow start, the Americans rallied immediately, going on a 15-2 run to get their first lead after a pass fake from Austin Reaves for the open three.
The USA pulled away in the second half with a 13-point lead midway through the third quarter and an 18-point lead to start the fourth quarter, finally growing its lead to its biggest margin at 27 points to put the final nail in the coffin.
The strength of Team USA’s bench was a key factor in their success, with three of the top four scorers coming from the reserves. Among these promising talents, Paolo Banchero, Austin Reaves, and Tyrese Haliburton made significant impacts.
Banchero finished with a game-high 21 points on 8-for-10, 80% shooting from the field, with four blocks and four rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.
Reaves finished with 12 points, which included a game-high in assists and steals, with six assists and three steals in his 22 minutes of action.
Haliburton finished with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block while shooting 80%, 4-for-5 from the field, and 66.7%, 2-for-3 from deep.
Team USA’s top prospect, Anthony Edwards, who was coming off a 34-point performance in their showcase win over Germany, finished second for the Americans with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the floor in 23 minutes.
After their World Cup opener win, the USA stands tied in first place with Greece, who won over Jordan, 92–71, Saturday morning, with two points each in Group C. The top two teams will advance to the next round, Group J.
This tie now makes Team USA’s next matchup more intriguing and a must-see, facing Greece on August 28th. A U.S. win over Greece would be a huge advantage in their chances to move on to the second round in group J.
To advance to the second round, the U.S. would have to finish in the top two of their current Group C stage, where they would also face the top two finishers from Group D.
