Team USA routs Greece to reach second round of FIBA World Cup - ESPN

MANILA, Philippines — When coach Steve Kerr came to practice Sunday and saw some of his Team USA players were a little frustrated after a 27-point win, he smiled. The first FIBA World Cup lesson had landed.

That mood carried into Monday night, when the U.S. played a more focused, cleaner and overall better game in beating Greece 109-81 to move to 2-0 in the event. The win assures the U.S. will move on to the second round after its last pool play game Wednesday against Jordan.

«Really good effort from our guys,» Kerr said. «Our thought process every game is to wear the opponent down. We're just trying to stay solid on every possession and really put pressure on the opponent.»

That didn't always happen in the opener against New Zealand. The Americans won easily but were the less physical and less prepared team for a good chunk of the game. That is the sort of bad habit that portended trouble for the national team in the past.

Those worries were pushed off against the Greeks, who are empirically the toughest opponent the U.S. will face in pool play, even if they're not as potent without the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Jalen Brunson, who had been just so-so over the past few games, emerged seeking to set a tone as his captain status demands. He was looking for his shot, barking at the referees and generally showing fire that he hoped would be contagious. Brunson made all five of his shots and finished with 13 points in a bounce-back effort for the Team USA starters who had been outplayed over the previous two games.

«For us it's all about feel and how we just need to attack the game as soon as we step on that court,» Brunson said. «We're still growing, we're still learning and we still have a lot of time to get better.»

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