Is USA out of FIBA World Cup 2023 after match against Germany? Latest update on team's progress
Team USA's quest for another FIBA World Cup title, the first since 2014, ended on Friday following a 111-113 loss to Germany in the semi-final.
The Americans faced Germany, with the winner advancing to the Final to play Serbia, which beat Canada in the first semi-final (95-86).
Team USA's FIBA World Cup campaign did not come to an end on Friday, no matter the defeat to the Germans.
The reason? If the Americans won today, they would play the Serbians for the title. If they lost, they would face the Canadians in the third-place game. Both games will occur at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.
With the loss, they failed to set a rematch with Serbia in the FIBA World Cup final after nine years. It is also the second straight time Team USA will not win the World Cup.
Team USA aimed at nothing but the FIBA World Cup title in Manila
Team USA came to Manila, Philippines, with a roster of young NBA stars making their debut in international basketball. No top stars were available for the tournament, as they all shifted their focus to the 2024 Olympic Games.
After their seventh place in the 2019 World Cup, the Americans aimed at nothing but gold this summer.
The path to the top 4 was relatively easy for the Americans, with comfortable victories over Greece, New Zealand, and Jordan in the opening round. In the Second Round, though, Steve Kerr and his players struggled against Montenegro and Lithuania.
Even though they defeated the Montenegrins (85-73), outscoring them 48-35 in the second half, their loss to Lithuania (104-110) was a wake-up call. It showed that they are not unbeaten in the tournament and must play even better to clinch the title.
Team USA bounced back immediately and dominated Italy in the quarter-final (63-100) to clinch a spot in the semi-final.
In the semi-finals, the Germans played tremendously offensively and had already scored 100 points early in the fourth quarter(92-100), shooting 60% from the field (37/62).
Germany endured the comeback of Team USA late in the fourth and secured a spot in the final for the first time in their history.
Franz Wagner (22 points) and Andreas Obst (24 points) led the way for the Germans, with Obst hitting a clutch three in the final second.
Anthony Edwards was the game-changer for USA in crunch time but came up short in the end (23 points), while Austin Reaves did his best (21 points) but missed a crucial three-pointer in the final seconds.
Team USA will now play Canada in what was expected to be the Final of the FIBA World Cup, but the winner will win nothing more than third place and the bronze medal.