The 2023 FIBA World Cup is about to reach its climax, as only a handful of teams are left standing.
Team USA and Serbia are waiting for their semi-final opponents after they took care of business in the quarter-finals, as in yesterday’s FIBA World Cup 2023 results, they eliminated Italy and Lithuania, respectively, in dominant fashion.
Team USA, who are heavily favoured to win it all according to the FIBA World Cup 2023 odds, are now waiting for the winner of the Germany-Latvia game, while Serbia will square off against the winner between Canada and Slovenia.
In case you missed it, here’s the recap of the latest in the biggest basketball showcase, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Serbia draw inspiration to outclass Lithuania
Serbia are in the semi-finals in three of their last four FIBA World Cup events, as they just blew out Lithuania 87-68 in the Mall of Asia Arena on Tuesday night.
Bogdan Bogdanovic was named the TCL Player of the Game after yet another scintillating shooting night.
Following his near-perfect performance in their 112-79 rout against the Dominican Republic in the second round, where he dropped 26 points on 100-per cent shooting from the field and 75-per cent from the free throw line, Bogdanovic had 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting against Lithuania.
18 of Bogdanovic’s 21 points came in the first half to set the tone for Serbia, which came into this game on a mission following a serious injury to one of their players.
Serbia told the press that they were dedicating their World Cup campaign to Borisa Simanic, who had one of his kidneys surgically removed after he took an elbow to the stomach from South Sudan’s Nuni Omot during their second round tiff.
Since then, Serbia have always had Simanic’s No. 28 jersey draped over a chair on their bench. Bogdanovic even revealed that Simanic texted the whole squad before the Lithuania match, which gave them a huge morale boost en route to the win.
As for Lithuania, this loss stings, especially after they beat Team USA 110-104 to close out the second round. In their three wins against the Stars and Stripes, the Green Death just couldn’t get over the hump of winning a medal.
After yesterday’s defeat, the best Lithuania can do is finish as the fifth-best team in this tournament.
Tadas Sederkerskis was the bright spot for Lithuania with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Rokas Jokubaitis, Ignas Brazdeikis, and Jonas Valanciunas recorded 13, 11, and 11 points, respectively.
Team USA bounce back with statement win against Italy
Perhaps the loss against Lithuania lit a fire for Team USA, as they were on fire against Italy, crushing them with a score of 100-63 to make it back to the semi-finals after they missed out in 2019.
The Stars and Stripes were beaten previously because Lithuania waxed hot from three-point land, so they made sure not to let it happen again. Through their stifling defence, Team USA outscored Italy 46-24 in the first half, and it didn’t help Italy when they only shot 7-for-38 from the three-point line.
Mikal Bridges is known for his defencive prowess, but it was his offence that sparked Team USA. The Nets swingman has scored in double figures for the third consecutive game, leading the team with 24 points on 73-per cent shooting this time against Italy.
Another star who showed up for Team USA was Tyrese Haliburton, as the Pacers guard was the squad’s second-leading scorer with 18 points, including six three-pointers.
Jazz forward Simone Fontecchio had 18 points and five rebounds for Italy in the losing effort, while Stefano Tonut recorded 11 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
Australia, France, Japan, and South Sudan claim Olympics berths
By finishing the tournament as the best teams from their respective regions, Australia, Japan, and South Sudan are qualified for the 2024 Olympics, which France will get to host.
Australia were the only one from the four that made it to the second round, but losing to Slovenia cost them a spot in the quarter-finals. On the other hand, France, Japan, and South Sudan finished on top of their groups in the classification round.
While this year’s tournament is a disappointment for Australia and France, it’s the opposite for Japan and South Sudan.
This is certainly one of South Sudan’s biggest achievements in their 12-year history as a nation, and they’re only going to get better, while Japan have qualified for the Olympics for the first time since the 1976 Montreal Games.
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