Boasting the one roster full of NBA players wasn’t enough for Team USA. In the first tournament under head coach Steve Kerr and managing director Grant Hill, the United States fell 113-111 to Germany in the semifinal round of the FIBA World Cup on Friday.
Anthony Edwards and Austin Reaves led the way for the Americans with 23 points and 21 points, respectively, but Team USA had no answer for the high-octane German offense.
The Americans were lazy on switches and, despite the presence of reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr., offered no resistance to Germany’s drivers, on the perimeter or at the rim. Dennis Schroder controlled the game with 17 points and nine assists, while sharpshooter Andrea Obst connected on four of his eight 3s and finished with a game-high 24 points to go along with six assists. Franz Wagner added in 22 points and Daniel Theis had 21.
Germany, which remains undefeated in the tournament, opened a double-digit lead in the third quarter by outscoring the Americans by 11 points. The U.S. got back into the game with a 9-0 run late in the fourth quarter, led by Edwards, but had no answer for Schroder, who repeatedly targeted and toasted Reaves down the stretch.
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Despite two losses, team USA has already qualified for the 2024 Olympics, but if it plans on avoiding a similar fate, Hill and Kerr will need to either add more defensive-oriented players or figure out a way for the group to build cohesion on that end of the floor.
Stat to know
57.7 percent: What Germany shot from the field.
Play of the Game
Despite its atrocious defense, Team USA was almost able to pull off a late-comeback. But with 1:17 left in the game and with Germany clinging to a one-point lead, Obst was able to spring free in the right corner off a dead ball and drill his fourth triple of the game.
Up next for the United States
Team USA will face Canada, who was upset earlier on Friday by Serbia, in the bronze medal game at 4:30 a.m. ET on Sunday.
[USA Basketball is putting the ‘team’ back in Team USA with balanced roster]
Up next for Germany
Germany will face Serbia in the title game at 8:40 a.m. ET on Sunday.
Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He is the author of “Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports.” Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.
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