FIBA World Cup: Puerto Rico, Venezuela make Americas look good
By Phil Watson
Tatum out for Team USA for Day 6 … and beyond
Team USA forward Jayson Tatum left the floor late in overtime during their 93-92 win over Turkey on Tuesday and texted Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens that all was well.
But on Wednesday, USA Basketball announced Tatum would be out for at least the next five days and will be re-evaluated on Monday due to a sprained left ankle, per Marc Stein of the New York Times.
That will keep Tatum out of Team USA’s Group E finale against Japan at Shanghai on Thursday as well as their opener in Group K in Shenzhen on Saturday to start the second round.
The U.S. will likely play the winner of Thursday’s Group F showdown between Greece and New Zealand on Saturday.
The bigger game in Group E Thursday is the matchup between would-be giant-killers Turkey, which missed four free throws in the closing seconds of overtime to leave the door open for the U.S. to come back and win, and the Czech Republic, which beat Japan 89-76 on Tuesday.
Turkey and the Czech Republic tip off at 4:30 a.m. Eastern Thursday, with Japan and the U.S. going at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.
The winner of that game advances with Team USA to the second round, with the loser relegated to the classification round.
Group F in Nanting also has a do-or-die game between a pair of 1-1 teams. Greece was stunned by Brazil on Tuesday 79-78, while New Zealand held off Montenegro 93-83.
The Tall Blacks and Greeks will tip at 8 a.m. Eastern for a spot in the second round alongside Brazil, which closes group play against 0-2 Montenegro at 4 a.m. Eastern.
Group G is all over but the seeding. Winless Germany and Jordan meet at Shenzhen at 4:30 a.m. Eastern before moving on to the classification round. At 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, France and the Dominican Republic — both 2-0 — look for an advantage moving on to Round 2.
A similar situation will play out in Group H at Dongguan. Winless Canada and 0-2 Senegal meet at 3:30 a.m. Eastern on Thursday for positioning in the classification round.
At 6:30 a.m. Eastern, the unbeatens in the group — Lithuania and Australia — collide to see which of them will be 3-0 to start the second round.