Mikal Bridges, the cornerstone of the Brooklyn Nets franchise and a mainstay in FIBA performed against the Italians after missing an opportunity to complete a comeback against Lithuania. Team USA also bounced back from a disappointing loss to Lithuania in the FIBA World Cup to wallop Italy by a score of 100-63 on Tuesday. Not only did Team USA bounce back from this loss, but so did Mikal Bridges.
In the final ten seconds of a game decided by four points versus Lithuania, it was Bridges’ corner three that strayed wide left, and this mistake started a fastbreak for the other team that effectively killed the game on his off shot.
On Tuesday, Bridges, on the other hand, had no problems finding the back of the net when playing against the Italians.
The key player for the Nets finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and a block, in addition to leading the game in scoring. He scored his points by shooting 8-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. During Bridges’ 18 minutes on the field, the United States of America defeated Italy by a score of 20 to 2. He is currently in first place in terms of the team’s net plus-minus at the World Cup and has emerged as Steve Kerr, the head coach of Team USA,’s most trustworthy player on the roster.
And he guided Team USA to a crucial victory over Italy on Tuesday, a must-win victory, with ten consecutive points, all turned in by “Brooklyn Bridges.”
At the beginning of the third quarter, with the Knicks holding a 52-28 lead, star player Jalen Brunson passed the ball to teammate Josh Hart for an entry shot at the elbow. Bridges made it a 17-point game by shooting a corner three-pointer over the outstretched arm of Utah Jazz guard Simone Fontecchio after receiving a pass from Hart, who contorted his body during the grab and fired it to Bridges.
Brunson, on the following possession, after Italy had responded with a three of their own, dribbled at the top of the key to put the defenders to sleep before passing the ball off to Bridges, who made his second three-point shot of the evening.
Bridges played the passing lanes and was able to intercept a pass during the very next defensive possession. He then went coast-to-coast and made both free shots from the line.
And on the subsequent offensive opportunity for Team USA, Bridges took advantage of a screen set by Jaren Jackson Jr. and rose for a mid-range shot.
The enthusiasm that Bridges radiated as he grabbed control of the game was even more striking than the box score he put up, which was quite the stat line for someone who had been a fourth scoring option the previous season. Fans of the Brooklyn Nets had better be hoping to catch this expression on the player’s face as he dons the team’s signature colors of black, gray, and white.
It’s a look that says you belong here. Bridges has a place both as a two-way player on the international stage and in Brooklyn as the player who will lead the Nets into a new phase of their franchise’s history.
Tyrese Haliburton has a disorderly appearance.
Haliburton, a first-time All-Star with the Indiana Pacers, was disrespectful despite being aware of the media criticism that surrounded Paolo Banchero’s choice to shun Team Italy in favor of representing Team USA. Banchero had chosen to play for Team USA.
With the help of its trapping defense, Team USA was able to force an opponent to turn the ball over at the halfcourt line. Once the ball was in play, Haliburton found Banchero open for a between-the-legs alley-oop, which the latter finished with two hands.
At the end of the game, he had 18 points, five assists, three steals, three blocks, and six made three-pointers.
UP NEXT IS
After cruising to a decisive victory against Italy, Team USA will next take on whoever emerges victorious from Wednesday’s FIBA World Cup semifinal contest between Germany and Latvia.
