2023 FIBA World Cup

World Cup Standouts Day 6: Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic come up big

Take a look at the players who stood out the most during FIBA World Cup play on Aug. 30.

From NBA.com News Services

Anthony Edwards put on a scoring showcase in Team USA’s romp against Jordan.

Wednesday’s eight-game slate of the 2023 FIBA World Cup proved crucial as certain games in Groups B, C, F and G would determine which teams would advance to the second round. Here’s a closer look at some of the top performers from games played on Aug. 30, which includes a wide variety of NBA players showing out in FIBA Group Stage play.

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Anthony Edwards, USA

Team USA remained perfect in FIBA World Cup play and made quick work of Jordan in a 110-62 win behind a dominant first-quarter performance. The fuel in that fast start was provided by Edwards, who had 13 points in the opening frame with a variety of driving baskets, 3-pointers and flashy dunks. After looking strong throughout USA’s FIBA exhibition run, Edwards hadn’t had a big scoring game at the World Cup until Wednesday. Overall, he finished with 22 points as well as eight rebounds and four assists as the U.S. will play Montenegro next in Friday’s second round game.

Luka Doncic, Slovenia

Dallas’ star guard put on a show as Slovenia rolled past Cape Verde 92-77 to close out its First Round play with a win. Doncic nearly made history in logging the first triple-double in World Cup history but still delivered a standout performance: 19 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and four steals in 30 minutes. Slovenia finishes First Round play undefeated and will head to its second round game on Friday.

Nikola Jovic & Bogdan Bogdanovic, Serbia

After powering Serbia to a win against Puerto Rico two days earlier, Jovic and Bogdanovic were at it again in a 115-83 win against South Sudan on Wednesday. Jovic was the story of the game as he enjoyed a near-perfect shooting night, going 9-for-9 from the field and 5-for-5 on 3-pointers, but was 2-for-3 on free throws for 25 points. Bogdanovic was at his all-around best, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds and three steals as Serbia improved to 3-0 in First Round play.

Goga Bitadze, Georgia

Bitadze, a backup center on the Orlando Magic, was strong around the basket as Georgia continued its perfect start in the FIBA World Cup. The big man finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in a 70-59 victory against Venezuela. Georgia outscored Venezuela 36-28 in points in the paint and won the battle of the boards 40-34, too, neither of which would have happened without the play of Bitadze.

 

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