Edwards, Johnson lead second half explosion for USA win as tuneup games continue

MIES (Switzerland) - Teams headed to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia are now deeper into their preparations (main image, credit USA basketball).

We take a look here at some of the warm-up games played the past few days.

 

USA win big in Las Vegas

Fans got their first taste of the American team that's going to play in Manila after it tipped off the USA Basketball showcase with a 117-74 rout of Puerto Rico at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

 

Anthony Edwards and Cameron Johnson each poured in 15 points while five others reached double digits in scoring for the USA.

"Anthony was great," coach Steve Kerr said. "He fits the FIBA game really well because of his physicality on both ends. He can get through contact, they allow contact on drives, so he can get through that contact with his strength. Using that same strength defensively, he can body people up and keep them from penetrating."

Puerto Rico got a big game from point guard Tremont Waters, who had 17 points, three assists and five steals.

The Boricuas only trailed 50-43 at halftime, with USA getting nine points from Austin Reaves before the break. Reaves' performance on his USA Basketball debut was so impressive that he drew a reaction from Lakers teammate LeBron James.

USA shifted into a higher gear in the second half, with a 20-0 run in the fourth quarter allowing them to break away for good.

 

Defending World Cup champions Spain officially started their preparation campaign with an 87-57 win against Venezuela at the WiZink Center in Madrid.

 

Santi Aldama of the Memphis Grizzlies, who made his much-anticipated debut for Spain, had two dunks and a three-pointer.

The top scorer for the game was last year's FIBA EuroBasket Final MVP, Juancho Hernangomez, who had 27 points.

Susijengi win thriller in front of record crowd

Lauri Markkanen was warmly greeted by an all-time Finnish record crowd as the Susijengi hosted Lithuania. It was teammate Mikael Jantunen, though, who stole the show. He scored the game-winning shot after a Markkanen miss to beat Lithuania, 81-79.

 

Trentino Cup: Spagnolo wins MVP, Anderson makes China debut

Italy won the Trentino Cup on home soil after beating China, 79-61, and Turkey, 90-89, over the weekend.

Matteo Spagnolo claimed MVP honors for the competition after scoring 13 in the Final against China.

 Despite the loss, China finally got a first glimpse of Kyle Anderson in a national team jersey.

 Anderson had 11 points and six rebounds on his debut.

Jordan win King's Cup

Jordan completed the sweep in the King's Cup with a 86-72 victory over Mexico. The Asian team had earlier beaten Angola and Portugal.

 

Big man Ahmed Al Dwairi continued to be a dominant force with 22 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals against Mexico.

 

Other notable action:

Aldama debuts, Juancho lights up for Defending WC champs
Puerto Rico beat Dominican Republic 93-86 at home
Greece defeat Slovenia 88-77; Dino Mitoglou - 18 points
Latvia begin preparations with 82-57 win over Georgia
Germany win first tuneup game against Sweden 87-68 

Upcoming

 

Make sure to stay updated on all of the preparation plans for all teams with this handy tracker.

 
FIBA