Italy - U.S.A.: summary, score and highlights, 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup
Italian profligacy makes for American success
Coming into this one, we all knew that it was going to be a mammoth task for the Italian side, however, after solid performances against the highly touted Serbians and the KAT powered Dominican Republic, one could have been forgiven for thinking an upset was a possibility, even if a remote one.
Sadly, we didn't get to see the defensive intensity that has become a benchmark of the Italian approach, and to compound matters, their shooting from both close range and beyond the arc was woeful. So much so in fact, that the Americans could be accused of not doing enough on perimeter defense. That being said, both Brandon Ingram and star-of-the-night Mikal Bridges, contributed with some timely blocks when players like Simone Fontecchio and Stefano Tonut threatened to find their rhythm.
Ultimately, Gianmarco Pozzecco's men will now have to reflect on what was not their best outing, while at least taking comfort in the idea that they can still qualify for the Summer Olympics in Paris next year. Meanwhile Steve Kerr, will undoubtedly take pride not just in the victory, but in the way that his charges responded by maintaining their intensity throughout the game, something he faulted them for not doing against Lithuania.
Up next for Team USA is a date with the winner of the other quarterfinal contest between the impressive looking Germans and Latvia who has proven they can play ball. We hope you enjoyed our coverage of this 2023 FIBA World Cup quarterfinal between the U.S.A. and Italy, and we remind you to stick with us as we'll be covering the rest of the tournament as well!
These two didn't play around...
Between Mikal Bridges and Tyrese Haliburton, the Americans got almost half of their entire points haul. Not a bad shift.
That's a wrap as the teams being to shake hands before the final whistle goes. It's a heavy loss for the Italians and an important win for the Americans not just because of the obvious root forward to the semifinals, but also as a means of rebounding from their loss to Lithuania. The final score is 100-63
As this one comes to a close it's clear that the Americans aren't just good - we knew this - but also adaptable.
Diof tries to muscle his way to the rim but is duly blocked by both Banchero and Johnson.
Despite the gulf in class, Italy will almost certainly feel frustrated about tonight's performance. For a team that has done so well defensively throughout the tournament, they've been a shadow of themselves in this one.
Inside the final two minutes now and Reaves is fouled once again. He will go to the line. It's 96-58.
Reaves goes to the line after frustrating Spissu with some breathtaking handling of the ball. He makes both.
Spissu finally gets one to go from beyond the arc as the ball rattles in, but the USA are back at it with Austin Reaves showing just why the Lakers recently extended his contract.
Austin Reaves tries to make things happen with Hart, but the latter fumbles the ball and Italy will have an inbound, we're in the last few minutes of this game.
Tonut finally gets some points for Italy with the score at 94-55, but he fails to do the same with his second chance after a steal.
What looked like a well constructed Italy move ends with a terrible miss and an even worse pass from Diof, but they will be saved by a foul on Severini from Hart.
It's an American timeout.
Portis Jr with the miss and Italy bring it up. Can they make this a little more respectable. From the looks of Diof's shot which just barely skims the net, it doesn't look so.
Ouch. Another three from Haliburton and it's followed by a rebound and another three. This guy won't stop.
Another miss from beyond the arc by Italy and Team USA will bring it up, but we've got a foul on Polonara.
One has to say that Italy has not given a good account of themselves. Not only have they been poor on shooting, but they've been exceptionally lax on defense, which is shocking really considering the way in which they played to get to this point.
That's a wrap for Fontecchio after he fouls Johnson once again for his fifth of the night. A sad end to a very decent tournament for the Utah Jazz player.
Fontecchio is called for a blocking foul on Johnson and the USA will retain the ball. Portis Jr. misses from deep and Melli comes away with the rebound. A nice shot from beyond the arc bySeverini
We're off and running again in the final quarter and it's Fontecchio who gives the Italinas a quick two. He's been their only hop all night.
What a way to finish the quarter as Haliburton pulls off a between the legs alleyoop to Banchero for the dunk. Italy are getting taken apart.
Spagnolo with a quick steal takes it to the hoop for an easy two.
After some back and forth, the Italians have managed to get up court, but only to violate the shot clock. The response? Portis Jr. from the corner and the lead is now 81-42.
That's Josh Hart with antoher three. This is getting out of hand now.
Ingram with the tough jumper gets it to go and it's now 78-39. Italy try to go for the three from the corner but Ingram who is clearly frustrated with proceedings, produces yet another block.
Italy are back at the line after Austin Reaves is judged to have fouled Datome
Brandon Ingram has been called for 'unsportsmanlike conduct' on the play and as you can imagine he can't believe it. None the less here we go again with Italy at the line.
The referees are in conference now after what the Italians view as a dirty play. We've got an official review.
An open look from Datomo falls to fall which leads to a break for Ingram who tries to dunk on Melli, but only manages to hurt the Italian as he stays on the ground.
Paolo Banchero with a quick steal and smooth layup to finish. The Magic star then proceeds to block Tonut in epic fashion before dishing it to Reaves whose three only adds insult to injury. That's 73-36.
With the score now at 68-36, Italy will have to do something truly special to get a result here today. It's a shame really as they are most definitely a team that can play, but seemingly have failed to find their rhythm tonight.
Brunson drives to the hoop but is blocked by Fontecchio, leaving Ingram with the put back. Believe it or not the Italians lose the ball almost immediately and it's Portis Jr. who gets a quick two. Italy call a timeout.
The game is opneining up now as a slick play by Tonut is followed by an even better lay up from Brunson.
I say that, but Mikal Bridges just can't stop scoring as he makes a difficult fade away shot to take the score to 62-34.
Fontecchio answers with a quickfire three. That's the kind of response Italy will need if they are to remain in this game.
A three point effort from Anthony Edwards in the corner but he misses and Polanara is fouled attempting to get the rebound. Edwards has been off tonight.
Bridges continuing his apparent MVP performance in this game is fouled and will go to the line. He sinks them both and we're on 60-31
That's Bridges with another three. He's starting to heat up.
A great exchange there are as Fontecchio was blocked, starting an American break, but Fontecchio redeemed himself with a steal and quick two.
Ouch. That's Bridges with another three and is promptly spoken to by the referee for taunting the Italian bench. In fact he's been called for a technical and Italy will get 1 fron the line.
Fontecchio answers with a quick two and that's followed by Hart who gets another three for the Americans from the corner. It's 52-28 as Fontecchio tries again but is fouled. He will go to the line where he sinks both.
And we're back. It's the USA who get us off and running and almost immediately Anthony Edwards gets going with a step back three pointer.
A tale of two halfs?
What's clear at this point is that if Italy is to have any hope of getting back into this game, they will need to do two things: Press higher of defense and actually score the shots they're taking. Simple enough right? We are after all dealing with stars of the NBA. If nothing else, one can't be giving guys like that open looks at the basket, which is exactly what the Italians have done.
Mikal Bridges is a very good basketball player
It's as simple as that. On defense he's been the man to watch and so to has he been on offense. Probably the best player on the court tonight.
Austin Reaves with a bit of show time!
Probably the highlight of the half. The Lakers star showing why he's been the talk of the town recently.
And that's a wrap for the first half. One has to say that the current scoreline is more the product of Italy shooting extremely poorly, rather than the U.S.A. simply outplaying their opponents. It also hasn't helped that the Italians have essentially refused to press the Americans when they bring the ball to the arc.
We're back at it and it's Polonara who gets one of two from the line. The Americans will have the last shot of the half but it doesn't go. The score is 46-24.
We're just learning that Anthony Edwards was blown for a technical foul during the timeout, meaning he must have said something to the referees.
Italy bring it up and it's Polonara who gets a good look but he's fouled for his troubles. He will go to the line, but a timeout has been called by the Americans.
A moment for the fans as Austin Reaves gets the put back dunk.
That's Bridges with another three from the corner and it's 46-22
Polonara tries to find Spissu but his pass is wide of the mark and the USA will get the ball.
Italy finally get one to fall after Spissu gets inside for a nice little layup.
That's Hart with a big three right there. It's now 41-22 to the Americans. Italy are in trouble.
Italy is not putting the ball in the basket and Banchero receives a lovely pass from Hart, but he's blocked in similarly epic fashion by Fontecchio.
Spissu drives to the hoop and it's an epic block from Bridges. Adding insult to injury he goes down court and drains a three. Things are not looking good for Italy as the score in now 38-18
We're back and it's Brunson who gets both to go from the line. The Americans are now playing a full court press. Impressive to say the least. Italy work the ball well but it's deflected out of bounds by Bridges.
Brunson again showing how smooth he is in the paint as he steps around Meli, but his attempt doesn't drop. He will go to the line though but not before a break as Italy call a time out. The score is 31-18 to the U.S.A.
Aaaaand another miss from Italy from beyond the arc. It's as if they're rushing the ball when in many cases they don't need to.
Spissu with another attempt from beyond the arc and once again it won't drop. The break results in a foul on Tonut and Bridges will go to the line for an attempt at 1 more point to make it 3. He gets it to go and Team U.S.A. leads 31-18.
Fontecchio tries his luck from beyond the arc once more but it doesn't drop. Off of the resulting break Hart is called for a charge on Melli, and the latter has stayed down for a bit. He seems to be alright.
Italy's shooting is proving to be their undoing at this point. They are getting the looks and the rebounds, but they can't seem to get the ball to go in. I say that, but Melli stops me with an authoratative dunk.
Ricci with a look from the corner but it's tapped by Jackson. No bother for the Italian as he gets the ball back and puts it in.
A great pass from Bridges to Brunson and we get the first two points of the quarter.
We've not seen any scoring in these first two minutes of the second quarter, with both teams failing to get the ball to drop despite open looks. Kerr decides he's seen enough and makes changes.
Brunson's three point attempt also fails to drop and Italy will bring it up once again.
We're off and running once again and we've already got a steal as Ricci gets into the paint, but his attempt from close range fails to drop.
The first quarter comes to an end as Banchero steps into the lane for a quick 2. The Americans lead 24-14 in what has been a relatively tight affair. Indeed, the Italians are getting looks, but they're not scoring. They'll need to do something about that if they want to avoid getting blown out.
Inside the final minute now and once again Italy fail from beyond the arc. The Americans bring it up and it's Banchero from the corner, but his three point attempt misses. Haliburton gets the rebound and has another attempt from beyond the arc, which drops but it won't count due to a foul.
A big answer from Fontecchio there as he drains a three. We're definitely seeing the half court press from the Americans.
Again we see some scrappy exchanges with neither side getting the rock to drop, but Austin Reaves introduces himself to the arena with a timely three! Team U.S.A. leads 20-11 and Italy call a timeout
Fontecchio goes to the line after a foul by Ingram and gets it to drop, but Ingram answers with another three for the Americans.
It's Haliburton with a big three after a misses attempt from beyond the arc by Italy's Datome. Team U.S.A. lead 14-8.
We're also seeing Ricci going out due to some blood on his mouth. It seems he came out worse for wear after a collision with Jackson before.
Brandon Ingram will go to the line after being fouled by Tonut who will go off for the time being.
Both teams make changes following what's been a scrappy opening 5 minutes. Italy bring the ball up but Tonut's pass to Melli is deflected off of Bridges foot. Italy will retain possession.
Banchero with his first real look of the night but his attempt misses and Italy will break. Sadly, for the Italians Brunson gets a steal and as a result sinks the first three of the night. Team USA leads 10-8.
Another lovely pass from Spissu finds Tonut under the bucket and his two points give Italy a 8-7 lead here in the 1st.
And 1 for Bridges! The Nets guard with a crafty drive to the basket is fouled for his troubles and he gets all three points, after one from the line.
After some back and forth - quite a few misses to be honest - it's the Italians who take the lead through a difficult shot from Tonut.
Melli once again off of a clever pass from Spissu. That's a tied game at 4-4.
The Americans drive hard down court and once again it's Brunson with a cut to the hoop and a quick two.
Great pass to Melli underneath the hoop but he is fouled by Jaren Jackson Jr.. He will go to the line where he gets his first and misses his second, but he makes up for it by grabbing the rebound.
Jaylen Brunson with the first points of the night after a difficult reverse layup. Italy miss their first opportunity and are immediately under pressure. This is what Kerr asked for.
We're off and running here in Manila and it's Team U.S.A. who get us off and running as they win the tip off!
A man of few words...
One of the players who will be under the microscope tonight, is Paolo Banchero who at one time was actually rumored to be considering playing for the Italian national team. That of course never came to be and here we are.
We're almost ready to go
The players are on the court, the national anthems are being played, and fans are on their feet. It's almost that time and I for one am very excited to see how this quarterfinal clash goes down. The Americans are known for their extremely high level, but what the Italians lack in pedigree they definitely make up for in passion and grit. Expect this one to be intense.
The stage is set!
We're less than half hour away from tip off and something tells me this is going to be a good one.
The boys are in the building
It's going to be an interesting night for the Americans, but by the looks of things, they've got their game faces on.
This isn't a foregone conclusion
Though Team U.S.A. are widely know as perennial winners, with NBA players on the roster, they will know all to well that this quarterfinal clash will be anything but easy.
The Italians have flown under the radar one could say, but they are definitely worth the chatter. Gianmarco Pozzecco's men have been something to behold on the defensive end of the court, and will undoubtedly be looking to grind a win out of the Americans.
Steve Kerr is keeping it simple
As Kerr knows all too well, there can be no taking it easy at this level. Following a tough loss to Lithuania, the Americans will be looking to get back on track.
Some context before we begin!
From the low down on how you can watch the game, to how many times Team U.S.A. has won it, here's a little background for you before game time!
Welcome Welcome Welcome
Firstly, let me welcome you to our coverage of the 2023 FIBA World Cup quarterfinal game between the U.S.A. and Italy.
The Italians are of course riding high after making it to the last eight, while the Americans are coming off of a tough loss to Lithuania. While the odds favor the stars and stripes, Gianmarco Pozzecco's team know that they're not in the quarterfinals by fluke having quietly put together a string of solid results to get them there. Of course, they will have their work cut out for them when they take on an American team that's on the hunt for its sixth title, after bowing out of the tournament at this very stage back in China in 2019, courtesy of a loss to France.
Where key matchups are concerned, the Italians as a collective are going to have to do something about Anthony Edwards. The Timberwolves forward has thrown his name into the MVP conversation and shows no signs of slowing down. Yet, there is also Jaren Jackson Jr. The center was off his game against Lithuania as Team U.S.A. was out-rebounded 43-27, however, his clash with Nicolo Melli may offer him a chance at redemption. Indeed, while Italy's front court consists of some very high-IQ veterans, they like center Melli, don't have the same size. This match up could well be key in determining who comes out on top in this game.
Ultimately, Italy is not known for prolific scoring, while the Team U.S.A. very much is. That said, one can expect the Americans to actually focus more on defense given how the lack of it hurt them against Lithuania. Consider for a moment that they were outscored 31-12 in the first quarter of that game, something Steve Kerr stated was the product of coming out of the gates too slowly. Expect them to pressure Italy from tipoff. Of course, that's not to say the Italians don't know a thing or two about defense as well. This is a team that limited Serbia to 76 points and the Dominican Republic to 57 points, a team that was averaging 92. Team U.S.A. comes into the game on an average of 104.4 ppg. How will that look when the game ends? As for head-to-head, the Americans are 12-2 all-time against Italy, including wins in the last four games.