New Zealand grabbed the world’s consideration with its conventional pregame routine, harnessing its vitality to launch the sport in excessive gear. They capitalized on weak factors in the USA’s protection, establishing a powerful 14-4 lead and having fun with the assist of 10,978 followers at the Mall of Asia Arena.
However, when the USA altered their defensive techniques, shifting from drop protection to a switching method with Paolo Banchero in a key function, they efficiently turned the tide and ended the first half with a 45-36 benefit.
Although New Zealand managed to delay the USA’s push for a major 20-point lead till the sport’s late phases, they struggled to slender the hole to single digits, challenged by the USA’s well-distributed offensive techniques.
“Our first half, we came out and had a lot of fire,” mentioned Reuben Te Rangi, New Zealand. “In the second half we lost a little bit of our legs there, but overall we can take a lot of things from that game, and move them into the next two games.”
Watch the sport highlights between the USA and New Zealand in the First Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023:
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