NBA

Team USA defeated Spain 98-88 in their third exhibition game before the start of the World Cup

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Zach Wolpin
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Zach Wolpin Sports Editor

Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.

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Sports Editor

Updated14 Aug 2023

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Jalen Brunson Team USA vs Spain pic

Over the weekend, Team USA played two more exhibition games ahead of the World Cup. On Saturday, they played Slovenia and easily won 92-62. Yesterday, their path to victory was not as easy as their previous game. Coming into Sunday’s contest, Team USA was ranked #2 out of all World Cup teams. Their opponent was the #1 ranked Spain. It wasn’t an easy win, but the US proved that NBA talent still remains dominant on the international level. 

Team USA and Spain played at the Martín Carpena Sports Palace in Malaga, Spain. It was a true road game for the Americans as there were nearly 11,000 fans in the arena all cheering for Spain. Their tune-up game vs Spain was their toughest opponent yet and they held on despite blowing a 10-point halftime lead.

Their next exhibition game is Friday afternoon at 12:00 pm EST vs Greece. The Americans will look to keep their perfect record alive heading into their first FIB World Cup game on August 26 vs New Zealand.


Team USA is now 3-0 in their exhibition games after a 98-88 win vs Spain

At halftime, the Americans had a 55-45 lead, but the Spaniards quickly erased their deficit. Head coach Stever Kerr said that Team USA let their guard down in the third and came out flat. He told the media that’s not something you can do in FIBA play. This is only Kerr’s first time being Team USA’s head coach, but he has plenty of coaching experience with the Americans.

Kerr has been with Team USA basketball since 2017. He was an assistant on Gregg Popovich’s gold medal roster at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Jalen Brunson has his best game yet with Team USA after going a perfect 9-9 from the field for 21 points and 5 assists. Jaren Jackson Jr. has been playing center for the Americans and he had another strong contest. He had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks.


Steve Kerr said the beauty of Team USA’s roster is their depth. He believes that they have a deeper bench than most teams in the World Cup. Kerr said that’s something “we have to lean into” and take advantage of the talent they have. Cam Johnson, Tyrese Haliburton, Austin Reaves, and Paolo Banchero have all been effective players off the bench for Team USA.