The 2019 FIBA World Cup is under way in China and while we closely track the U.S. Men’s National Team, here’s a quick look at all the action from FIBA World Cup play on Sept. 7.
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Czech Republic 93, Brazil 71
Behind Chicago Bulls swingman Tomas Satorasky, Czech Republic secured a huge win over Brazil to improve to 3-1 while handing Brazil its first loss in the FIBA World Cup.
In addition to shooting a stellar 56 percent, the Czech Republic outrebounded Brazil 39-28 and held its opponent to just 40 percent shooting. But it was Satorasky who was the biggest difference-maker, going for 20 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. Satorasky is the only player in this tournament averaging more than 11 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Balvín added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Czech Republic while Patrik Auda chipped in with 14. Vítor Benite led Brazil with 12 points while former NBA player Leandro Barbosa added 11.
Australia 82, Dominican Republic 76
Patty Mills delivered once again, this time pouring in 19 points and adding nine rebounds to guide Australia past the Dominican Republic and into the quarterfinals.
Mills, who earned Player of the Game for the third time during the tournament, took control of the game late to help Australia fend off a tough test and improve to 4-0 in the World Cup. Mills has now scored 15 or more points in all four tournament games, eclipsing 20 twice.
Eloy Vargas had 16 points and seven rebounds while Victor Liz added 14 for the Dominican Republic.
France 78, Lithuania 75
Behind Evan Fournier’s game-high 24 points, France held off Lithuania to secure its spot in the quarterfinals. Nando De Colo came off the bench to add 21 while Nicolas Batum added 12.
After leading for most of the game, France held off a late rally from Lithuania, which actually took a 72-70 lead with 3:10 left. But Fournier and De Colo proved to be too much down the stretch, guiding their squad into the next round.
Jonas Valanciunas led the way for Lithuania with 18 points and eight rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to prevent his squad from failing to advance to the next round. Lithuania kept the game close despite shooting just 38 percent from the field and 5-for-19 from beyond the arc.
There was a bit of controversy near the end of the game, as Gobert knocked Valanciunas’ last free throw off the rim that would’ve tied the game, but no call was made
USA 69, Greece 53
The United States Men’s National Team clinched a spot in the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals with a 69-53 win over Greece on Saturday.
The U.S. (now 4-0) took control with a 9-0 run early in the second quarter, led by 13 at the half, and by 17 after the third quarter. Greece started to put together some offense in the fourth, but could never get the lead to within single digits.
The U.S. will play 3-1 Brazil on Monday. It’s potential opponents in the quarterfinals (Wednesday) are Australia and France, who are both 4-0 in Group L. The U.S. now has a 57-game winning streak in (non-exhibition) games with a roster made up entirely of NBA players, going back to the bronze-medal game of the 2006 World Championship.
New Zealand 111, Japan 81
In this Classification 17-32 game Saturday, New Zealand cruised past a Rui Hachimura-less Japan to secure its second win of the tournament.
Corey Webster scored a team-high 27 points on 9-for-11 shooting while Isaac Fotu added 23 and 10 rebounds to help New Zealand, which shot a blistering 58 percent from the field and 54.5 from deep, roll to a 30-point victory.
Nick Fazekas led Japan with a game-high 31 points and nine rebounds. Daiki Tanaka was the only other player to score in double figures, managing 10 points and five assists.
Canada 126, Jordan 71
In another Classification 17-32 game, Canada sank 24 3-pointers (24-for-44) in its convincing win over Jordan to shatter the FIBA World Cup single-game 3-point record, previously held by Team USA. The Americans had set the record for the highest number of threes made in a single game in the 1994 World Cup , hitting 19 shots from deep.
Kyle Wiltjer led the long-distance show, hitting 7-for-9 from beyond the arc for 29 points, while Cory Joseph and Phil Scrubb each nailed three treys.
Canada also hit a milestone in terms of playmaking as its 37 assists tied the World Cup all-time single-game record set by Serbia earlier in the tournament.
Turkey 79, Montenegro 74
In another Classification 17-32 game, Montenegro had a tight grip on the game through the first three quarters, but four late turnovers in the fourth quarter flipped the script in this one as Turkey turned to a full-court press to secure the win.
Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman led the way for Turkey with 19 points while Melih Mahmutoglu added 17 and Scott Wilbekin chipped in nine points and 13 assists.
Montenegro fell to 0-4 in China while Turkey improved to 2-2 and is still on track to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Germany 89, Senegal 78
In another Classification 17-32 game, Dennis Schroder put on a show, scoring a game-high 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting while adding 12 assists and six rebounds, giving him Player of the Game honors. Johannes Voigtmann and Daniel Theis each added 14 for Germany, which improved to 2-2 with the victory.
Ibrahima Faye and Maurice Ndour each scored 17 points to pace Senegal.
