Austin Reaves downplays Vaidas Kariniauskas' taunt in Lithuania's upset 110-104 win over Team USA

Team USA's Austin Reaves and Lithuania's Vaidas Kariniauskas went viral for an incident during their FIBA World Cup second-round game on Sunday.

Kariniauskas was caught on camera sticking out his tongue at Reaves after making a three-point play, with Lithuania already leading big.

Although Team USA mounted a comeback bid, Lithuania managed a 110-104 win, and the taunt became a talking point from the game.

When asked about the taunt, Austin Reaves said that it didn't matter to him. The LA Lakers guard told reporters during Team USA's practice at Kerry Sports Manila in Taguig on Monday:

"It's basketball. He's competing. I'm competing. I don't feel no type of way about him doing that. [I'm not taking it seriously] at all.

"There's been many times in my career that people have looked at me sideways and done stuff, so it's basketball. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter."

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Austin Reaves lauds Vaidas Kariniauskas for leading Lithuania to win

Austin Reaves even praised Vaidas Kariniauskas for his strong showing for Lithuania against Team USA.

The Delamode Mazeikiai star led Lithuania's balanced attack with 15 points alongside four rebounds and two assists. Kariniauskas went 5-for-7 from the field and made both his three-point attempts.

Kariniauskas outplayed Reaves, who was held to only seven points on 1-of-4 field goals.

Reaves was impressed by the performance:

"He played a really good game. They played a good game against us. They beat us."

Reaves then vowed that Team USA will bounce back, and the team can do so on Tuesday when the quarterfinals begin back at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Team USA battles Italy at 8:40 p.m. Philippine Time and it will be interesting to see if they can put the Lithuania game behind them. If they are to win FIBA World Cup gold in 2023, they will have to do so quickly.

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