USA Basketball 2014 World Cup: #SplashBrothers 2nd Half Report vs Ukraine (Photo: @letsgowarriors Instagram account)
BILBAO EXHIBITION CENTRE, BILBAO, SPAIN — The Golden State Warriors‘ #SplashBrothers duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson was back at it again against the Ukraine today. Here’s the 2nd half report. The first half report can be found here.
THIRD QUARTER
Curry and the starting five started the third quarter and he got things rolling with a three at the 7:40 mark to give USA a 49-34 lead.
With 3:59 to go, he got fouled on a trey attempt and sank all three free throws. With 8 points at the half, his tally was now at 14.
Thompson checked in for Curry at the 2:45 mark with USA up, 63-49. #TeamUSA took a 69-51 lead into the 4th.
FOURTH QUARTER
Coach Mike Krzyzewski went with the #SplashBrothers at the start of the 4th quarter and they got to stay on the court together for a good seven minutes of play.
But the duo made more waves on defense than offense, as Thompson got another one of his “low key” blocks, back-pedaling and staying with his smaller man until near the bucket when he deflected the shot. Those, more often than that, stay in bounds and result in early transition going the other way.
Curry had his own highlight on D, but it was of the bad kind, as he bit on a fake by a Ukraine guard and was left at the perimeter. Steph slammed his right hand against his thigh in frustration with himself as the player drew the foul on a USA big and went to the line.
Thompson added a three that widened the USA lead to 78-59 with 7:00 to go.
With just over 5:00 to go, Team USA finally ran a half-court set play in which both Curry and Thompson ran curls simultaneously on the wings. The play ended with the ball to Klay, who took one step inside, then delivered a perfect bounce pass to DeMarcus Cousins. It was one of 4 assists for Thompson.
After that play, the Ukraine called timeout and Curry did not return to the floor.
Later, a Ukraine player missed a point-blank alley-oop attempt, resulting in Thompson’s 5th rebound. He would finish with 7 points, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots.
Curry tallied 14 points, but just 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal to go along with 3 personal fouls.
Team USA crushed the Ukraine with a final score of 95-71, despite the slow start in the first half.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
