Lithuania Shocks USA Basketball at FIBA World Cup: Dominant Performance

Team USA men's basketball suffered a stunning loss to Lithuania in the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals but still secured a spot in the 2024 Olympics.

In a shocking turn of events, Team USA men's basketball suffered a stunning loss to Lithuania in the FIBA World Cup. Despite the loss, they were able to secure a spot in the quarterfinals after finishing in second place in their group.

Lithuania came out strong, hitting nine consecutive three-pointers to start the game, ultimately leading them to a 110-104 victory. Vaidas Kariniauskas was the top scorer for Lithuania with 15 points, followed by Mindaugas Kuzminskas with 14 points. Tadas Sedekerskis had an impressive double-double performance with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

U.S. coach Steve Kerr acknowledged the outstanding performance by Lithuania, stating, "That was a great basketball game. Lithuania obviously just came out of the gates on fire. I think they made their first nine threes. I love how our guys fought back, competed like crazy, and gave a really good run."

The first quarter was particularly challenging for Team USA as Lithuania dropped 31 points while the Americans only managed to score 12. Kerr admitted, "They just punched us in the mouth. They made every shot. They executed it. I don't think it was a case of us not being ready, but them playing a perfect first quarter and us understanding how hard we'll have to play to accomplish our goal."

Despite the loss, Team USA's goal of winning a gold medal remains intact. They will face Italy in the first game of the knockout round, with the winner advancing to play the winner of Germany and Latvia.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards expressed his focus on the next game, stating, "We'll get to play again. That's all I'm thinking about is the next game."

Lithuania has a history of challenging the U.S. in basketball. They narrowly lost to the U.S. by only nine points in a 2000 Olympics preliminary game and secured a two-point victory in the semifinals. Lithuania also defeated the U.S. in the 1998 world championship and gave them a tough competition during the 2012 Olympics.

Vaidas Kariniauskas emphasized the significance of the win for Lithuania, stating, "It's a big win for our country, for players, for coaches, to play against the best in the world. I'm happy for my country... and we don't need to stop now."

While the U.S. has also secured a spot in the 2024 Olympics, Kerr made it clear that their focus is on winning the World Cup. He stated, "It doesn't ease the pain of the loss that we had tonight for us. But to be honest - I'm not worried about this Olympics. I'm worried about this. We want to win the World Cup. That's our focus."

Overall, this unexpected loss to Lithuania serves as a wake-up call for Team USA as they strive to reclaim their dominance in international basketball.