Steve Kerr reacts to first USA loss: 'They punched us in the mouth' / News - Basketnews.com
Steve Kerr praised Lithuania after the first FIBA World Cup loss.
Credit: Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS Credit Erikas Ovčarenko/BNSTeam USA head coach Steve Kerr reacted to the first FIBA World Cup 2023 loss against Lithuania, 104-110.
Player of the Game EFF 16 Vaidas Kariniauskas Points 15 Accuracy 5-7 Rebounds 4 Assists 2
"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," Kerr said in the press conference.
"They just punched us in the mouth," Kerr reacted to the first quarter, in which the USA lost 19 points.
Early into the second quarter, Lithuania was up by 21. Lithuanians made the first nine 3-point attempts.
"They made every shot. They executed it. I don't think it was a case of us not being ready. But them playing perfect first quarter and us understanding how hard we'll have to play to accomplish our goal."
Lithuania dominated in grabbing offensive rebounds, securing 18 to USA's 9, which led to an impressive 17 second-chance points for Lithuania, while Team USA managed just two.
Furthermore, Lithuania's bench players were a significant driving force, outscoring Team USA's bench by a substantial margin, with a score of 61-38.
"We have a great tape to watch," Kerr recalled.
"Lithuania is a brilliant basketball team. They move, they shoot, they're really well coached," Kerr praised the three-time European champions.
"We're fortunate the loss doesn't hurt us in terms of our goal, which is to win the gold.But it's a great game for us to experience. Because this is FIBA. There are some great teams that have continuity and understand what they're doing. Lithuania was brilliant. They deserved to win," he concluded.
Despite the defeat, Team USA has successfully advanced to the quarterfinals and also secured their spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In the upcoming matchup, the Americans are set to take on Italy on Tuesday.
"I hate losing. But for us to get better, we need to respond the way we did. And the next game, we need to start the way we did in the second half. I hope this is a lesson, and we'll get better from this," Kerr explained.
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