Team USA finishes 5–0 in exhibitions after comeback win over Germany
Abu Dhabi— The USA Men’s National Basketball Team rallied from a 16-point deficit on Sunday, defeating Germany 99-91 to finish with a 5-0 record in showcase exhibitions as they head to Manila for the FIBA Men’s World Cup.
Team USA finished with a 22-5 fourth-quarter run to complete their comeback win, thanks in part to a huge performance from Anthony Edwards, who finished with a game-high 34 points on 4-for-8, 50%, shooting from three, and 10-for-21, 61.9% shooting overall.
“Man, this was fun,” said Edwards. “I ain’t have fun like this in a minute. So yeah, this was super exciting. We were down 15, so that was adversity.”
“He’s unquestionably the guy,” said Team USA head coach Steve Kerr of Edwards. “You can see he knows it. But now the team knows it, and I think the fans see it. He genuinely believes he’s the best player in the gym every single night. And he’s such a dynamic young player. I think he’s taking a leap.”
Steve Kerr utilized bench players Austin Reaves and Tyrese Haliburton alongside starters Ant Edwards, Mikal Bridges, and Jaren Jackson Jr. for the final minutes of the game. This move proved instrumental in the USA’s comeback, with Reaves and Haliburton both contributing significantly, each scoring 16 points off the bench for second on the team.
“Our [second] unit felt like we were f — -ing the game up, so we had to come in and fix it,” said Haliburton.
“I don’t think that we can really ever feel like we’re out of a game,” said Reaves. “They have a really talented team that has got a lot of guys that play in the NBA. This one felt good.”
Team USA will now head to Manila, Philippines, for their first three games in round one of the Group C stage’s FIBA Men’s World Cup against New Zealand on August 26th, Greece on August 28th, and Jordan on August 30th.
Team USA vs. New Zealand, August 26th at 5:40 a.m. (PDT) on ESPN2
Team USA vs. Greece, August 28th at 5:40 a.m. (PDT) on ESPN2
Team USA vs. Jordan, August 30th at 1:40 a.m. (PDT) on ESPN2
