Team USA came out aggressive in their match-up with Mexico early this morning, opening up a 13-2 lead to start the game. Led by Gustavo Ayon and Jorge Gutierrez, Mexico stayed within striking distance through the first half, but Team USA continued to apply pressure from start to finish.
Mexico had no answer for Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry or Sacramento Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins in the second half. Curry caught fire from the perimeter, while Cousins dominated the paint as Team USA pulled away for the 86-63 victory in Spain.
Notes and Analysis
- This game was a tale of two halves for Cousins. The Sacramento Kings big man checked in at the 3:47 mark of the first quarter and before he could log two minutes of action, he picked up a pair of fouls guarding Ayon. He left the game early without making an impact and sat out until the second half.
- In the third quarter, Cousins made up for his early troubles by dominating the paint. He turned heads in the with his play on both ends of the floor, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks for the game. Cousins rotated on defense and even found Rudy Gay for a wide open shot from the perimeter in his 14 minutes of action.
- Gay has faded lately off Coach K’s bench, but he had a bounce-back game today against Mexico. The Sacramento Kings starting small forward scored 11 points in 13 minutes and hit his first two 3-pointers of the tournament. Team USA needs aggressive play from Gay and today, that’s what they got.
- Curry put on a shooting clinic, hitting 7-of-10 overall and 6-of-9 from long range. The Golden State star finished with 20 points and four assists in 25 minutes of action. If Team USA is going to win it all, they need consistent shooting out of Curry and the rest of the guards.
- Curry’s backcourt mate with the Warriors had a big game as well. Klay Thompson finished with 13 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists in the win. Thompson has quietly found his stride with this team.
- Team USA finally had a breakout game from long range. As a team, they shot 13-for-29 from behind the arc for a blistering 45 percent.
- Ayon finished last season as a member of the Atlanta Hawks. In three NBA seasons, the 28-year-old has played for four teams, averaging 4.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 16.7 minutes of action. After his strong play in the World Cup, Ayon should have no problem picking up a job in the league for the coming season. Today against Team USA, the 6-foot-10 center scored a game-high 25 points on 11-for-19 shooting and added eight rebounds in the loss.
Tweet of the Game
It’s cool to watch Steph Curry do Steph Curry things in September
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) September 6, 2014
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