USA still perfect, KAT wins in debut ahead of final week before World Cup

MIES (Switzerland) - We're less than a week away from the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 and the teams are making their final adjustments before the main event begins.

With some stars making their debuts, powerhouses staying undefeated, and other big confidence-boosting victories, it was yet another exciting stretch of basketball - the last week building up to the World Cup.

Don't forget to keep up with all of the preparation game action leading up to the World Cup in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia that gets underway in less than 7 days!

USA stay perfect in buildup

Still smooth sailing so far through the USA Basketball Showcase UBA as they won their first game of the International Basketball Week in Abu Dhabi against Greece.

 Signs continue to point to Anthony Edwards stepping up as the leading scorer for this team as he put up a game-high 21 points.

 USA will play another game against Germany as their last game in UAE before their head to Manila.

International Basketball Week in Abu Dhabi:

LBN vs EGY - 70-64
LBN vs MEX - 70-88
USA vs GRE - 108-86
GRE vs GER - 19 August
GER vs USA - 20 August (Watch free on Courtside 1891 with Plus)

Brazil, Giddey impress in Melbourne

The Australia Boomers played their first official preparation games ahead of the World Cup in the "Boomers vs the World" event in Melbourne which also included Brazil, South Sudan, and Venezuela.

Brazil were the only team that left Australia with a perfect record, including a big win over the hosts that was Bruno Caboclo record 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

 

While the Boomers missed out on sweeping the competition, their fans did get a better look at Josh Giddey who is set to play for Australia for the first time since the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. Across these three games, Giddey averaged a healthy 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game.

 

Boomers vs the World:

AUS vs VEN: 97-41
BRA vs SSD: 85-75
AUS vs BRA: 86-90
SSD vs VEN: 80-61
AUS vs SSD: 88-67
BRA vs VEN: 83-71

KAT makes debut in win over Canada

After only recently joining the Dominican Republic training camp, Karl Anthony Towns made his first national team appearance in nearly a decade. It ended up with a win over Canada at the Torneo ciudad de Granada which saw Towns score 20 points and grab 6 rebounds.

 

Canada had defeated defending World Cup champions Spain a day before and have now wrapped up their preparation schedule before heading off to Jakarta for the Group Phase.

  

Torneo ciudad de Granada:

ESP vs CAN - 80-85
CAN vs DOM - 88-94
ESP vs DOM - 19 August

Tominaga shines, Japan ramps up intensity in Tokyo

Hosts Japan were one of the first teams to officially start their preparation plans to play in the World Cup and now they're cranking it up to another level in this final week with 3 big games against Angola, France, and Slovenia.

Keisei Tominaga has been a bright spot for the co-hosts, scoring 20 points in each of the first two games.

Tokyo Tuneup Games:

JPN vs ANG: 75-65
JPN vs FRA: 70-88
JPN vs SLO: 63-108
FRA vs AUS: 20 August

Upcoming

There will be some key tune-up games available for streaming on Courtside 1891 over this last week before the World Cup.

Puerto Rico, Lithuania, and Latvia are all playing in Taipei from 19-22 August.

The FIBA Solidarity Cup which includes China, Serbia, Italy, Brazil, and New Zealand will be played in Shenzhen from 20-21 August.

There are many more games set to take place in this entire week, so make sure to stay updated on all of the preparation plans for all teams with this handy tracker.

 
FIBA