Team USA won all five of their tune-up contests ahead of the FIBA World Cup which starts this week, but the friendly matches weren’t as easy as they might seem. This past Sunday they played against Germany, and at some point in the game they were down by 16 points.
However, Anthony Edwards‘ 34-point performance inspired them to eventually win the game and keep their unbeaten exhibition record, as Austin Reaves and Tyrese Haliburton also addded 16 points each coming off the bench.
US national team finally completed their rally with a 18-0 run in the final minutes and earned a 99-91 victory, before heading to the Philippines for the international competition.
Check out the friendly contest’s full highlights in the following video:
“What I like is that we know now they’ve got guts,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “But we can get a lot better because we have a higher ceiling than a lot of teams — because most of these teams have been together. (Germany) has been together. They’re really good. We feel like we’ve got more room for growth. And we’ve got to keep working and getting better as we head to Manila.”
Edwards had an impressive display this weekend, dropping in 11 of 21 shots and adding 8 of 8 from the line. The rest of the starters for Team USA only combined for 25 points, while the Wolves star hit nine more by himself.
“He’s unquestionably the guy. He knows it. Now the rest of the team knows it,” the US trainer said about his leading scorer. The 22-year-old, agreed: “That was the best game I’ve had in a minute.”
Two NBA stars took it to social media to express their enchantment over the young guard’s incredible exhibition. LeBron James was the first to make his opinion heard. “Ant man cooking, that boy is cold,” the Los Angeles foward posted.
Boston star Jayson Tatum was also outspoken over Ant’s performance, saying he’s getting ready for a great season to come. “Ant gone have a big year coming up,” the Celtics man wrote.
Two players came off the bench to encourage the team’s revenge late in the third quarter
The comeback actually came from the bench, as it started late in the third quarter with players like Haliburton, who dropped 11 points in less than three minutes.
The Minnesota guard acknowledged the Pacers star’s brilliance after the match. “Brother right here…brother right here man! If he get right, he side-stepping. Hope y’all listening. If he go right, he side-stepping. My boy went crazy today man. My boy…patna…my lightskin patna!” he posted on social media.
USA down 16 in the 3rd
Insert Tyrese Haliburton 🫡 pic.twitter.com/mLy76lptrl
— AKRiley (@AKRileyy5) August 20, 2023
With 6:58 left, Germany fought back with a three-pointer by Mortiz Wagner, but then had their precision fall off during the next eight shots, providing the perfect opportunity for Team USA to finish off the comeback.
“It just comes down to buckling down and getting stops,” Haliburton expressed postgame. Austin Reaves shared a similar sentiment, saying the game was always in their hands. “I don’t think that we really ever feel like we’re out of a game,” said the Lakers rising star.
The FIBA competition, which will take place in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia starting this week, has the US squad as betting favorite to win the tournament. Steve Kerr’s team will face New Zealand, Greece and Jordan in group play that starts Saturday in Manila.
