Team USA survived its toughest test yet in the 2023 FIBA World Cup with an 85-73 second-round win over Montenegro on Friday in Manila. After cruising through their group stage games with an average margin of victory of 34.3 points, the Americans had to dig deep against a veteran Montenegrin side led by Nikola Vucevic and were able to pull away down the stretch. While there is still one more second-round game to go against Lithuania, Friday's results mean Team USA has already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.
As they have in a number of games so far in this tournament, the Americans got off to a slow start. It took nearly six minutes for them to finally reach double figures, and they trailed for much of the first quarter. Though they eventually started to wake up, the game remained a back-and-forth affair, with neither side able to gain much of an advantage.
At halftime, Montenegro held a one-point lead, and they were still in front as late as the 6:46 mark of the third quarter. That's when Mikal Bridges hit a 3-pointer to tie things up. A few seconds later, Anthony Edwards got to the line for two free throws to give the Americans a 48-46 lead, which they never relinquished. It wasn't for a lack of trying from Montenegro, however, who remained within a few possessions until the final few minutes.
As per usual, it was the Edwards show for Team USA. The Minnesota Timberwolves star struggled early on, but turned it on after the break, scoring all 17 of his team-high points in the second half to lead the way. In addition to his go-ahead free throws in the third quarter, he made some huge plays late in the fourth, including a steal and a dunk with five minutes to play that pushed the Americans' lead to seven and gave them some breathing room.
❌ Anthony Edwards in the first half: 0 points, 0/5 FG
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) September 1, 2023
✅ Anthony Edwards in the second half: 17 points, 7/11 FG#FIBAWC x WinForUSA pic.twitter.com/7rzmcztEUQ
Austin Reaves continued to show his importance, chipping in 12 points with nine of them coming from the free throw line. His ability to get into the paint and earn some easy points at the line was crucial early in the game when Team USA wasn't shooting the ball that well. As a team, the Americans shot 20-of-30 from the line, and while that is a poor percentage, those points proved to be the difference; in a 12-point win, they outscored Montenegro by 12 at the foul line.
Next up for Team USA is another tough opponent in Lithuania on Sunday. New Orleans Pelicans big man Jonas Valanciunas figures to be a real problem in the paint, especially considering how much damage Vucevic did on Friday, finishing with 18 points and 16 rebounds, with seven being offensive.
