Anthony Edwards and Austin Reaves were left frustrated after Team USA suffered a stunning loss to Germany, which led to their shocking exit in the semifinals of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
With the highly-favored Americans trailing by as much as 12 points in the fourth quarter, Edwards and Reaves stepped up to the challenge and joined forces to slice the lead to just one point, 108-107, with 1:35 remaining in the game.
Unfortunately, Team USA’s run fell short as Andreas Obst and Dennis Schroder delivered the lethal blows that knocked them out of gold medal contention.
Edwards and Reaves were responsible for the Americans’ last 17 points, but neither player had any intention of seeking consolation after the crushing defeat.
“Nah. It was just toughness. Even I could have played tougher and grabbed more rebounds, so it was on all of us,” said Edwards, who got 23 points and eight rebounds in the crushing defeat.
“Not good enough. We lost. That’s the moral of the day. We lost; it’s not good enough,” echoed Reaves, who added 21 points.
The Mannschaft outworked the Americans on the offensive boards, collecting 12 rebounds and scoring 25 second-chance points in the contest.
“We got outrebounded all night. I think we tried to defend them; we fouled them a couple of times. But we gave up free points. Kudos to them,” said the Minnesota Timberwolves star.
The Americans are set to take on another stacked squad in Canada in the bronze medal match on Sunday.
And Team USA vows to finish their campaign not just on a high note but also with a medal.
“We’ve got to go out there and play. Just go out and play,” said Edwards.
