In this high-profile match, the United States team welcomed the last opponent of the group preliminary stage, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico are yet to win the group stage and don't have top NBA players on the team, so in theory this game should be a great opportunity for United States to win comfortably and adjust their form.
Tournament recap
The starting lineup of the United States team consists of Curry, Tatum, Booker, James and Embiid. Embiid returned to the starting lineup, while Holiday was sidelined due to injury. Puerto Rico is led by Alvarado with Devin Reed, George Condit, Ismael Romero and Tremont Waters making up their starting line-up.
Embiid looked unusually positive at the start of the game, but some of his unreasonable shots failed to convert into points, leaving the United States behind in the opening stages. However, James and Tatum used their height and size to score back-to-back points, and Curry gradually regained his trademark three-point shooting touch. Despite this, the United States team did not perform well in the gap, especially Edwards and Booker failed to hit in the gap.
Puerto Rico, on the other hand, played exceptionally well in the early stages of the game, with Alvarado and others hitting consecutive three-pointers, both in open and positional shots, and at one point they took an eight-point lead and maintained the lead at the end of the first quarter.
Heading into the second quarter, as Alvarado came off the bench, the United States bench showed great strength. Without Alvarado's lead, Puerto Rico's offense suffered frequent setbacks against the formidable interior duo of Davis and Bam Adebayo. Coupled with Edwards' strong defense, the United States team completely controlled the penalty area, thus gradually widening the score gap.
During that time, Davis and Adebayo dominated the restricted area, and the addition of Durant made Puerto Rico's interior defense look stretched. This terrifying combination of height, reach, and athleticism has created many opportunities for secondary offense, especially the combination between Durant and Curry, which is familiar and nostalgic for Warriors fans.
In the final minutes of the first half, Embiid and Curry regained their touch one after another, and the high pressure on the defensive end made Puerto Rico's hand not as good as it was at the start of the game, and consecutive missed shots allowed the United States to play the dominant game under James' organization. By the end of the first half, the United States had taken a nearly 20-point lead.
In the second half, the United States continued to maintain a high-intensity defense, which caused Puerto Rico's shooting percentage to drop significantly. James has been exceptionally good on both ends of the floor, not only helping to complement the defense on the defensive end, but also leading the team through fast breaks and playmaking. Although the United States team's three-point shooting percentage was not high, it still opened the score and firmly controlled the rhythm of the game.
By the end of the third quarter, the United States had taken a 28-point lead, and although Puerto Rico occasionally fought back and made some outside shots, such a large margin made it difficult for them to turn the game around. In the end, the United States team defeated Puerto Rico 104-83 to end the final game of the group preliminary round.
Event Overview
Through this game, it can be clearly seen that the concentration of the United States team in the first half has decreased compared to the previous two games, and it seems that it is a little too relaxed, but Puerto Rico has seized the opportunity. This also validates the view that "the light enemy is the greatest enemy of the United States team." Especially in the free throw section, the United States team performed quite badly, conceded 5 free throws in the first half, and the shooting rate was less than 50%, such concentration was obviously not enough.
Curry and Embiid aren't in the best shape either, with their contributions on the defensive end being relatively small. As top stars, one would certainly hope they can get back into form as soon as possible, but moving them off the bench doesn't seem like a good option at the moment. Because the bench is so dominant on both ends of the floor, strong defense and consistent offense can quickly close the scoreline, changing the chemistry of the combination could have a detrimental effect.
As a result, the issue of the best starting line-up remains unresolved, with limited value in experimenting with different line-ups in the group stage due to the low intensity of the opponents. However, assuming that the combination of Holiday, Edwards, James, Durant and Davis could lead to more consistency in the final stages of the game.
Summarize the outlook
The game was as expected before the game, except for a slight sweat in the first quarter, and the rest of the game United States showed the stability and dominance they deserved. Embiid and Curry regained some confidence with a couple of successful shots, and the team's overall form adjusted. Next, the United States team will wait for the final eight opponents to be announced.
In future matches, the United States team will need to maintain a high level of concentration, especially against stronger opponents. Curry and Embiid need to improve their form further, and with their abilities, the United States team is more than capable of continuing to dominate the court.
Overall, this game was not only a tweak and run-in for the team, but also an important victory. Through this game, the United States team not only won the game, but also found some problems of its own and prepared for the next games. We look forward to seeing them continue to perform well in the next competitions and strive for better results.