As it did on Friday, Team USA suffered a stunning loss on Sunday, this time to Canada, in the bronze medal game of the FIBA World Cup.
The Americans fell behind early and trailed by double digits in the fourth quarter. They made a furious rally late to force overtime, but once there, they didn’t have enough left, as they fell, 127-118.
As a result, the United States failed to medal in the World Cup, just as it did in 2019 when it finished seventh.
Still, Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers did his job, especially on offense. He scored 23 points, one less than Anthony Edwards, who led the team with 24. The undrafted guard shot 7-of-13 from the field and made all seven of his free throws.
Austin Reaves | Team USA Highlights
vs Canada (Bronze Medal Game)
…no Captain America Theme Song 😪
23 pts / 5 reb / 1 asts / 1 stl
50% fgs / 40% 3fgs / 100% fts#fibawc pic.twitter.com/X1znpeEya2
— Lakers Legacy (@LakersLegacyPod) September 10, 2023
The good news is not only did Reaves come out of the tournament healthy, but he ended up as one of Team USA’s best players.
Austin Reaves finished with the third best Team USA player rating 👀
He also had the 2nd most ppg on the team. pic.twitter.com/nDzA3f64MQ
— JAKE (@KingJakeVII) September 10, 2023
AUSTIN REAVES FINALS FIBA STATS
🇺🇸 13.7 points
🇺🇸 2.7 rebounds
🇺🇸 2.4 assists
🇺🇸 1.2 steals
🇺🇸 56/50/95 splitsAR IS READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP THIS SEASON! pic.twitter.com/EzAMZlyb3L
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) September 10, 2023
This will undoubtedly help him once the new NBA season begins for the Lakers.