MANAGUA (Nicaragua) – The United States has not looked dominant throughout the tournament, however, the team saved its best for last, taking control in the final five minutes to defeat Brazil 90-78 and claim first place in Group A of the FIBA AmeriCup 2025. The Americans’ victory created a three-way tie with Uruguay and Brazil (all finishing 2-1). Based on the tiebreaker (point differential among the three teams), the U.S. came out on top of the group. Uruguay placed second and Brazil third. All three advanced to the AmeriCup Quarter-Finals.
Turning point
The U.S. strung together a 14-2 run, highlighted by three-pointers from Jahmius Ramsey and Cam Reynolds in just over two minutes. They seized an 84-74 lead with 3:08 remaining. That surge left Brazil stunned and unable to recover.
TCL player of the game
Javonte Smart was the spark for USA, posting 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists (including four points during the decisive 14-2 run). The guard shot 8-for-13 from two-point range and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Ramsey followed with 15 points, while Tyler Cavanaugh added 10 points and 7 rebounds. Bruno Caboclo paced Brazil with 21 points, but the team was missing guards Georginho De Paula and Vítor Benite. They also lost Ruan Miranda to injury after just two minutes of play. Yago Santos (9 assists) and Gui Deodato contributed 14 points each.
Stats don’t lie
The U.S. dominated inside, scoring 50 points in the paint compared to Brazil’s 24. They also controlled the glass, 40-34, with 13 offensive rebounds to Brazil’s seven. Head coach Stephen Silas’ bench outscored Brazil’s reserves 47-9, showing a clear advantage in depth. The Americans committed just 6 turnovers, their second-lowest total in an AmeriCup game since 2003.
Bottom line
With this win, the United States now leads the all-time AmeriCup series against Brazil 7-3. This final game of the Group Phase also set the Quarter-Final matchups. Check below to see how the bracket looks:
They said
The U.S. showed resilience after its surprising loss to Uruguay in the previous game. Javonte Smart spoke in the mixed zone about the team’s approach heading into this matchup. “We focused on playing together. We only had like a week and a half to prepare, so everybody has to buy in,” he said. On what they still need to improve for the Quarter-Finals, he added: “We need to just keep communicating on both sides of the ball, especially on defense… I think if we keep working on that, we’ll be fine.”
FIBA