[[[Sport TV]]=] Today: USA vs Slovenia live 12 August 2023
3. Who will emerge as USA’s go-to player? Could Brandon Ingram become the spark for Team USA down the line? This question didn’t need to be answered against Puerto Rico as the Americans cruised to a 43-point win behind a balanced attack: Anthony Edwards and Cam Johnson each scored 15 points to lead the way, while Mikal Bridges added 14, Jaren Jackson Jr. tallied 12, and Jalen Brunson, Brandon Ingram and Bobby Portis each scored 11 to give the USA squad seven players in double figures. The USA squad thrived in transition and off of live-ball turnovers against Puerto Rico as steals turned into fast-break layups and alley-oop dunks.
1. Former Mavs teammates meet in Malaga Jalen Brunson and Luka Doncic spent 4 seasons together in Dallas from 2018 to 2022. Update (Saturday 10:45 a. m ET): Luka Doncic has been ruled out after suffering an injury Friday vs. Spain. Luka Doncic (third overall) and Jalen Brunson (33rd overall) entered the NBA together in the 2018 NBA Draft, with Doncic being acquired via a trade with Atlanta and Brunson being drafted directly by Dallas. The duo spent four seasons together in Dallas, peaking with a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2022, where the Mavericks were eliminated by the Warriors. That Game 5 elimination loss to Golden State marked the final game that Doncic and Brunson would spend as teammates, as Brunson signed a four-year deal to join the New York Knicks as a free agent. Saturday’s game would mark only the second time that Brunson and Doncic would share the court as opponents.
Here’s a look at how each of them fared against Luka last season. MATCHUP TIME PTS AST TOV BLK FGM-A (FG%) 3PM-A (3P%) FTM-A (SF) Josh Hart 11:39 16 8 2 0 5-11 (45. 5%) 0-2 (0%) 6-7 (4) Mikal Bridges 11:37 6 1 6-11 (54. 5%) 1-4 (25%) 3-4 (1) Anthony Edwards 11:20 18 5 5-14 (35. 7%) 3-8 (37. 5%) 5-5 (2) A few things stand out when looking at these defensive numbers. First, all three players forced Doncic to look for teammates as he racked up a combined 19 assists compared to 16 field goals made.
And we’re playing two great teams, so it will be a really good weekend for us. ” While Puerto Rico was ranked 20th in the world rankings, this weekend’s exhibition games come against seventh-ranked Slovenia on Saturday, and top-ranked Spain (the defending FIBA World Cup champions from 2019 and FIBA EuroBasket champions from 2022) on Sunday. We’ll take a closer look at each matchup this weekend, beginning with the game against Slovenia, which tips off at 3:30 p. m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 12 and will be televised in the United States on FS1.
USA vs. Slovenia: Complete Preview, Live Stream, Start
https://t. co/XTF2wPQN4B — Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 12, 2023 While Saturday marks Team USA’s first game in Malaga during this FIBA World Cup warmup series between the US, Slovenia and Spain, it will be the second game in as many days for Slovenia as they face Spain on Friday. That begs the question: will Doncic play on the second day of a back-to-back, and if he does, how many minutes will he play as the Slovenian coaching staff balances the benefits of exhibition play with any potential risk of injury due to fatigue.
Edwards held Doncic to the lowest field goal percentage (35. 7%), but allowed the most points, in part due to a pair of shooting fouls that sent Luka to the line. Hart also had a hard time defending Doncic without fouling as he allowed four shooting fouls in his 11:39 of matchup time. Overall, all three USA defenders held their own against Doncic during NBA games last season. Of course, things will be a bit different during international play as Doncic is being asked to carry an even greater load of the Slovenian offense, especially after the loss of fellow NBA player Vlatko Cancar, who suffered a torn ACL during an exhibition game last week.
USA vs Slovenia Prediction and Picks on today 12 August
Team USA vs. Slovenia: How to watch World Cup warm-up