Paolo Banchero, Team USA Rolls Past Jordan, Remaining Undefeated
The U.S. men's basketball team is moving on to the second round of the FIBA World Cup after taking care of business in a 110-62 victory against Jordan to close their Group C slate in Manila.
Team USA (3-0) had first place in Group C locked up before they took the floor at SM Mall of Asia Arena but handled business efficiently.
The game's instantly one-sided nature, which saw the Americans lead 31-12 after the first 10 minutes, allowed Team USA's stars to get some work amidst healthy resting for second-round play. Only one American, Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana) played more than 20 minutes in Wednesday's wire-to-wire triumph.
"Guys like Tyrese (Haliburton), Austin (Reaves), Jalen Brunson, everybody ... all 12 of us can put the ball through the hoop," Minnesota Timberwolves star Edwards said, lauding the American depth. "We just feed off of one another, that's super important that we got that depth."
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero was also part of that depth, playing 15 minutes and scoring eight points on 3 of 7 shooting.
© Mike Watters, USA TODAY
Jordan (0-3), destined for consolation play, was drastically overmatched from the get-go, failing to reach 20 points as a team in three of the four periods. Former Brooklyn Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the team with 20 points in defeat, capping off a preliminary play trio that saw him average 27.7 a game.
Team USA will remain in Manila to partake in second round pool play, joining a group that will feature Group D victors Lithuania and Montenegro, as well as the Group C runner-up (either Greece or New Zealand). The Americans open up against Montenegro on Friday at a time to be determined.
