Sunday's FIBA World Cup Thread

Hello, everyone. I understand Eric's post yesterday was labled an open thread for the weekend. That said, I was awake and inspired to write something this morning. Here's a short recap of two games played yesterday, a reminder for who is playing today, and where you can watch the FIBA World Cup as the knockout stages continue. Plus some music.

Spain defeats Senegal, 89-56.

Senegal, for the most part, managed to keep Spain at bay throughout the first half. Around the 3:00 minute mark of the second quarter, Senegal trailed, 28-35, as Spain struggled to connect on shots from three point range. Marc and Pau Gasol were met with admirable resistance as the Senegalese' weren't giving up an inch in the painted area. Spain countered by playing inside-out. Entry passes targeted bigs on the high and low post, who then kicked the ball back out to open shooters on the perimeter. The Spaniards connected on only 1 of 10 three pointers during the first two quarters.

After pulling within seven, costly defensive lapses in the final minutes of the second frame rendered Senegal with a 13 point deficit at halftime. Spain started to pull away during third quarter, emphasizing dribble-penetration that collapsed the defense while shooters continued firing away from outside.

Being played tightly while frequently being met by double teams, Pau and Marc showcased interior passing which led to more open looks around the basket. Moreover, as the lead continued to grow, Spain's defense was noticeably stingy throught the game. Senegal struggled to generate offense, scoring a mere 28 points in the second half-- this was coming off an 11 point output during in the second quarter.

Spain finished 7 of 23 from behind the three point line.

The African's gave a valiant effort, but Spain flexed its muscle as the game chugged along and this ultimately became a blowout.

Check out my basketball shaped hat RT @ZacharyBD: Caption this photo. pic.twitter.com/KdkzFmH4zw

— Dennis G. (@bigpumpkin4real) September 7, 2014

• Ricky Rubio - 7 points (2 of 4 FG, 3 of 4 FT), 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals.
• Gorgui Dieng - 6 points (1 of 9 FG, 4 of 6 FT), 7 rebounds, 2 assists.

Team USA defeats Mexico, 86-63.

An Anthony Davis dunk made the score 11-2 as the Americans asserted their dominance right away in the opening frame. It became apparent this was going to get ugly, early but Mexico cut the deficit to four after answering with a 7-2 run of their own. This brief push for momenum halted after Steph Curry connected on a three point shot, extending the lead, and Team USA's defensive prowess kept Mexico from crawling any closer throughout the remainder of the game. Curry went onto hit six threes throughout the game.

After scoring just 38 points through three quarters, Mexico scored 25 during the fourth making the final score appear that much more respectable. Team USA ultimately won by 20 points. They will face Slovenia in the Round of 8 on Tuesday.

• Steph Curry - 20 points (7 of 10 FG, 6 of 9 3PT FG), 4 assists
• Demarcus Cousins - 11 points (5 of 5 FG, 1 of 1 FT), 7 rebounds

Other Scores:

You can catch today's FIBA World Cup matches on ESPN3 and NBATV.

Some music.