FIBA World Cup: Knicks' Brunson, Hart Help Team USA Back to Semifinals

Team USA moved onto the FIBA Basketball World Cup's semifinals with a dominant win over Italy that featured solid performances from New York Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart are once again bound for the final four.

The New York Knicks' pair of Villanova stars each contributed to the United States' men's basketball team's latest victory at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Asia, earning a 100-63 shellacking of Italy in Manila's quarterfinal round. With the win, Team USA officially clinches a berth in the four-nation semifinal round and is guaranteed to improve upon its seventh-place posting from the last World Cup in 2019.

Jalen Brunson finds his way there early in the US dismantling of Italy pic.twitter.com/PzJHDjb5Qy

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) September 5, 2023

Stationed back in the Americans' opening lineup, Brunson put in nine points and dished out four assists while Hart tallied five with four rebounds. Their fellow former Wildcat and current New York City basketball rival Mikal Bridges (Brooklyn) stole the show with a game-best 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the win. 

"We just set the tone, that's what we've been preaching," Bridges said of his and the starters' effort, echoing previous comments from Brunson on the official FIBA site. "The bench has been doing a good job, but the starters have been letting us down with the slow starts. That was the whole thing, play with force for all 40, don't wait until it's too late. That's what we did, we played hungry."

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Unlike Sunday's defeat to Lithuania, who was eliminated in the first half of a quarterfinal doubleheader on Tuesday, Team USA (5-1) got off to a strong start against Italy, one that almost proved historic: whereas they allowed the Lithuanians to jump out to a 19-point lead to close out the second round, they held the Italians to a mere 24 points, one shy of a World Cup-quarterfinal round low set by Turkey in 2006.

It was part of a defensive effort that held Italy (4-2) to just over 30 percent shooting, including a 7-of-38 output from three-point range.

"It was our best defensive effort of the tournament to this point, and that's what it's going to take to win two more games," Team USA head coach Steve Kerr said. "You always want to respond to a loss with a competitive effort, and the joy and competitiveness go hand in hand when you compete and play with that kind of force and energy."

Jalen Brunson ➡️ Josh Hart#Knicks pic.twitter.com/C9fZVrH4vz

— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) September 5, 2023

Thanks to the game's one-sided nature, Team USA was able to keep most of its primary talents out of extended action: only Hart and Paolo Banchero (Orlando) played more than 20 minutes in a game that saw the Americans lead by as much as 41.

Despite their loss, Italy is guaranteed its best World Cup finish since the 1998 competition in Greece. The Italians' lone NBA rep, Simone Fontecchio (Utah), was their leading scorer at 18 points. 

With their semifinal ticket punched, the Americans will now await the winner of Germany and Latvia's Wednesday quarterfinal matchup. Their semifinal, one that will give them a chance at their first title since 2014 and one that would break a tie for the most World Cups with defunct Yugoslavia, will be staged on Friday (8:40 a.m. ET, ESPN2).