U.S. falls, assured worst major-tourney end
The U.S. will depart the World Cup with its worst end in a significant worldwide match, assured of ending no higher than seventh after falling to Serbia 94-89 in a comfort playoff sport Thursday night time.
The earlier worst end for a U.S. males’s workforce in 45 match appearances was sixth on the 2002 world championships. The Individuals — the top-ranked workforce on the earth — will end both seventh or eighth in China, relying on the result of their comfort finale Saturday.
Harrison Barnes scored 22 factors for the U.S., which obtained 18 from Kemba Walker and 16 from Khris Middleton.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 28 for Serbia, which ran out to a fast 25-point lead and handed the U.S. its second loss in two days. Vladimir Lucic scored 15 for Serbia, which can play for fifth place Saturday.
A Serbia-U.S. assembly was broadly anticipated to be one for gold this weekend. The prospects of that had been hyped loads going into the match — particularly after Serbia coach Sasha Djordjevic referred to as out the Individuals in a tv interview by saying “if we meet, could God assist them.” However all that was on the road Thursday night time was bragging rights and some world rating factors.
Serbia led 44-40 on the half, a margin that will recommend the primary 20 minutes had been of the back-and-forth selection.
They weren’t. As a substitute, it was simply two actually huge runs, one by every workforce.
Serbia received the primary quarter 32-7. The U.S. received the second quarter 33-12. Serbia shot 64% within the first quarter and the U.S. shot 19%; within the second quarter, it was the Individuals taking pictures 72%, Serbia 31%.
TIP-INS
U.S.: Jayson Tatum (left ankle) and Marcus Sensible (left hand) had been out with accidents, and neither is anticipated to play within the workforce’s finale Saturday. … The final time the U.S. dropped consecutive video games on the World Cup degree was 2002 on the world championships in Indianapolis, shedding to Argentina by seven and Yugoslavia by three. The one occasions the Individuals misplaced three straight had been on the 1970 world championships and on the 2005 FIBA Americas match.
Serbia: Vasilije Micic, whose mom died throughout this match, stayed with the workforce as a substitute of going dwelling early. He scored 10 factors. … All-NBA heart Nikola Jokic was quiet offensively, scoring 9 factors on Three-for-Four taking pictures. He did make two free throws with 20.2 seconds left to place Serbia forward by six.
NO MEDAL
The U.S. has been sending groups to main worldwide competitions — the Olympics, the World Cup (previously the world championship) and FIBA Americas — since 1936, a span of 45 tournaments in all. That is solely the fifth time the Individuals will not medal; they had been fifth on the 1970 world championship, fifth on the 1978 world championship, sixth on the 2002 world championship and fourth on the 2005 FIBA Americas. They’ve medaled in all 18 Olympic competitions, profitable gold 15 occasions.
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U.S.: Faces Poland or Czech Republic in seventh-place sport at Beijing on Saturday.
Serbia: Faces Poland or Czech Republic in fifth-place sport at Beijing on Saturday.