Favorites United States, Spain start World Cup campaigns with routs
Send a link to a friend
[August 28, 2023]
By Neil Jerome Morales
MANILA (Reuters) - The United States and top-ranked Spain opened
their FIBA Basketball World Cup campaigns with landslide wins as
only one of eight group games was a close-run affair on Saturday.
Second-ranked Team USA started their quest for a record sixth
basketball World Cup crown by overcoming a slow start against New
Zealand to win 99-72 in Manila.
"The whole second unit really came in and righted the ship after the
slow start," Team USA coach Steve Kerr told a press conference. "New
Zealand came out, hit us in the mouth."
The Tall Blacks led 14-4 in the first quarter while the United
States battled turnovers and missed shots.
"Obviously, not the start we wanted," said Los Angeles Lakers guard
Austin Reaves, who scored 12 points and posted a game-leading six
assists while drawing the loudest cheers from the crowd of nearly
11,000.
Team USA face Greece on Monday and Jordan on Wednesday.
In Jakarta, reigning champions Spain routed Ivory Coast 94-64, led
by Willy Hernangomez's 22 points and five rebounds.
Spain, FIBA's number one team, aim to be the fourth nation with
back-to-back crowns and win at least three World Cup trophies. Spain
play Brazil on Monday and Iran on Wednesday.
The top two teams in the eight groups qualify for the last 16, with
the bottom two entering the classification rounds.
BIG WINS
All games on the second day ended with big wins except for a 101-96
overtime victory by Puerto Rico over South Sudan in Manila,
highlighting a disparity between European and Americas teams
compared with their African and Asian counterparts.
[to top of second column] |
Basketball - FIBA World Cup 2023 - First
Round - Group G - Spain v Ivory Coast - Indonesia Arena, Jakarta,
Indonesia - August 26, 2023 Spain's Juancho Hernangomez in action
with Ivory Coast's Vafessa Fofana REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan
Greece beat Jordan 92-71 despite former NBA forward
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson's game-high 24 points as the Asian side's
naturalized player.
Sixth-ranked Serbia made quick work of 27th-ranked China in a 105-63
win.
In Okinawa, Georgia overcame Cape Verde 85-60, while Slovenia beat
Venezuela 100-85, with Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic getting 37
points, the tournament's highest single-game tally so far.
Twice world champions Brazil routed Iran 100-59, with five Brazilian
players scoring in double digits in Jakarta.
The 19th edition of FIBA's flagship event, which features 32 teams,
is the first hosted by three countries. It started on Friday, with
the champions to be crowned in Manila on Sept. 10.
Seven teams, two each from the Americas and Europe plus one apiece
from Africa, Asia and Oceania, will qualify for the 2024 Paris
Olympics based on their World Cup finish.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Ken Ferris)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|