In their final first round game in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, Team USA made adjustments to their starting five for the first time, placing Josh Hart ahead of Brandon Ingram, which resulted in their most impressive first-quarter performance of the tournament thus far.
The four-time World Cup champions surged to a commanding 31-12 lead by the conclusion of the opening quarter. This established the precedent for their most decisive victory to date, securing a 110-62 triumph at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Head coach Steve Kerr elucidated that the coaching staff’s decision aimed to experiment with different line-up configurations, assessing their viability as the tournament advances into more challenging rounds.
“We just felt like it was important to take a look at Josh with the starting group and Brandon with the next group and see if the combinations fit. I liked what I saw. Obviously, the game wasn’t competitive but there was good flow with both groups,” commented the Golden State Warriors head coach.
Hart led Team USA in rebounds against Jordan, securing 12 boards in addition to two points, three assists, and one steal.
Conversely, Ingram contributed seven points and five assists during his 15 minutes on the court. He maintained an average of 3.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 0.5 steals across the initial two games.
After grappling to repel early challenges from New Zealand and Greece, where they only held leads of one and four points respectively by the first quarter’s conclusion, the Americans finally achieved a breakthrough opening surge.
Kerr attributed this successful beginning to their defensive efforts, particularly on the perimeter where Jordan’s offense had been potent, largely due to former NBA player Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
Team USA concluded the match with a total of 13 steals, the highest count in the entire tournament, while coercing Jordan into committing 23 turnovers.
“They really pressured the ball in the first five minutes and that set the tone. That’s one of the things we always look for in Team USA, ball pressure.
“We feel like we always have one of the best defensive guards in the tournament regardless if it’s this year, the last year or the year before. That’s one of the advantages we have. We have great perimeter defenders,” he remarked.
Despite the one-sided outcome, Kerr clarified that Team USA has not definitively determined their lineup alterations as they approach the second round against Lithuania and Montenegro.
“We’ll see. We haven’t made any decisions going forward but we just wanted to kind of look at different things.”
