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Milwaukee Bucks: Team USA shakes off Brazil with strong second half

By Jordan Treske

SHENZHEN, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 9: Khris Middleton #14 of Team USA runs onto the court before the game against Team Brazil during the FIBA World Cup on September 9, 2019 at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in Shenzhen, China. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
SHENZHEN, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 9: Khris Middleton #14 of Team USA runs onto the court before the game against Team Brazil during the FIBA World Cup on September 9, 2019 at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in Shenzhen, China. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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A strong second half propelled Team USA past Brazil Monday morning to help them continue their undefeated run at the World Cup while both Milwaukee Bucks stars, Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton, had quiet outings.

Team USA maintained their undefeated run at this year’s World Cup with a 89-73 win over Brazil Monday morning.

An uneven first half from the Americans led to Brazil almost matching them step for step to trail 43-39 heading into halftime, and with a few questions they needed to answer over the break.

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It was in the second half when Team USA took full control of the contest, thanks to a more complete performance on both ends of the floor that was helped by going small and running the Brazilians off the floor with their speed and athleticism.

The Americans didn’t look back in the fourth quarter as they built on their double-digit lead and led by as much as 21 at the 6:01 mark of the frame.

Both Milwaukee Bucks players, Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton, played limited roles in the win and did very little to influence the game.

Much like he has for most of his run at the World Cup with Team USA, Middleton struggled to find a rhythm when looking to put down shots from three-point range early on and long had a single point to his name after burying a technical free throw that came after Brazil head coach Aleksander Petrovic was ejected midway through the second period.

Thankfully, Middleton broke out of his cold spell in the second half with a step-back corner three, a driving layup that resulted in an and-one and a floating touch shot in the paint. The 28-year-old finished with nine points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field (1-for-4 from deep, 2-for-2 from the foul line), six rebounds, one assist and was a +2 in over 15 minutes of burn.

After registering a DNP-CD last time out in Team USA’s win over Greece, Lopez got some run under head coach Gregg Popovich, albeit in a very limited sense. However, Splash Mountain looked very rusty as he went scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting from the field (0-for-2 from three), two rebounds and was a -5 in nearly seven and a half minutes of action.

With the win, Team USA has now officially qualified for next summer’s Olympic games and they will defend their gold medal in Tokyo.

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But a big test looms ahead as Team USA advances to the quarterfinals and will face off against France, who were knocked off by Australia late Monday morning as well. With the World Cup transitioning into the knockout stage, the Americans can’t afford any slippage from their current standard or otherwise, they could be in some jeopardy.

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