Following a tough loss to Serbia, Tremont Waters and the rest of the Puerto Rico team were determined to showcase their best basketball against China in the final game of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 group stage on Wednesday.
The Los Magnificos secured a wire-to-wire 107-89 victory against the struggling Dragons, securing their spot in the Round of 16 of the global hoops event and finishing second in Group B with a 2-1 record.
Waters, a former second-round pick by the Boston Celtics in 2019, delivered an impressive performance with 22 points – his highest output in the tournament so far – shooting at an impressive 64.3 percent. He also contributed six assists, four steals, and three rebounds.
“Just trying to help my team win. This is not about me. It’s about Puerto Rico,” Waters humbly stated, downplaying his outstanding performance against the formidable Asian team.
The 25-year-old, previously honored as the NBA G League Rookie of the Year, mentioned that the team learned from their recent loss to Serbia. In that game, they managed to mount a comeback from a 32-point deficit before ultimately falling 77-94 last Monday.
“Obviously we had a tough game against Serbia and we just want to come out and build on what we did against Serbia,” said Waters.
“It was a tough loss but we just tryna stay together and obviously we’re gonna have ups and downs but as long as we stay together, everything’s gonna take care of itself.”
With this victory, Puerto Rico has earned the opportunity to face Italy and the Dominican Republic in Group I, where the top two teams will progress to the knockout round.
The former teammate of Victor Wembanyama, the top overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, emphasized that the team’s focus is on themselves rather than their opponents. They aim to maintain their impressive performance and advance to the knockout stage.
“We’re gonna go out and play our basketball. We’re not gonna focus too much on them, it’s about Puerto Rico. We’re gonna go out there and play and win.”
