Lithuania has tainted the U.S. men’s basketball team record at the FIBA World Cup in Manila. Despite falling to the European powerhouse, the U.S. still qualified for the Olympics with a 4-1 record.
It was a close game but NBA veteran, Jonas Valanciunas, held it down for Lithuania in the absence of Domanta Sabonis, winning 110-104 this past Sunday. Clinching quarterfinal spots last week, the U.S. and Lithuania’s matchup was merely for seeding purposes.
“It doesn’t ease the pain of the loss that we had tonight for us, but for USA Basketball, it’s a good thing” – Steve Kerr, U.S. head coach.
He continued, “To be honest, I’m not worried about the Olympics. I’m worried about this. We want to win the World Cup.” Kerr would also share his thoughts on why he thought his squad lost. “They just punched us in the mouth. Right away, they made every shot. They executed. I don’t think it was a case of us not being ready. I think it was a case of them playing a perfect first quarter and us understanding how hard we’re going to have to play.”
Even despite Anthony Edwards’ game-high, 35 points, Lithuania dominated the boards, out-rebounding the U.S., 43-27. They were also lethal at the three-point line, making 14 of 25 shots from the arc.
“I hate losing. I probably won’t sleep much tonight, but for us to get better, we needed to feel this,” expressed Coach Kerr. Having now lost three games in the World Cup since 2019, the U.S. has been looking to make a comeback. Especially after dominating in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016.
