There were mixed results on Sunday for the two Pacers taking part in the 2023 FIBA World Cup on the final day of group play.
Daniel Theis and Germany cruised to a comfortable victory over Slovenia, but Tyrese Haliburton and the United States were upset by Lithuania. Both the USA and Germany had already qualified for the quarterfinals -- Sunday's games simply determined their spot in the bracket.
Germany rolled past Slovenia, 100-71, in Okinawa, Japan to finish a perfect 5-0 in group play. Theis tallied 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting and seven rebounds in the victory.
Raptors guard Dennis Schröder recorded a double-double with 24 points and 10 assists for Germany in the victory.
Mavericks All-Star Luka Doncic had 23 points, six rebounds, and six assists for Slovenia in the loss, but went just 2-for-11 from 3-point range and attempted just five free throws after averaging 13.5 attempts from the charity stripe over his first four games in the tournament.
The United States, however, never fully recovered from the early hole they dug on Sunday in Manila, Philippines, falling to Lithuania, 110-104.
Haliburton finished with three points, two rebounds, and tied for the team lead with seven assists.
Lithuania quickly built a significant lead on Sunday, closing the first quarter with a 14-2 run that put them up 31-12. They led by as many as 21 points in the second quarter and took a 54-37 advantage into halftime.
The USA mounted a charge in the third quarter, opening the frame with a 15-2 run to climb within four. They kept it close, but didn't manage to get any closer for the remainder of the quarter. Haliburton entered midway through the frame and assisted on three straight American baskets, but Lithuania still led 71-65 entering the fourth quarter.
Lithuania managed to push the margin back to 10 in the early stages of the final frame. That's where the margin stood with under six minutes remaining, when Haliburton got a step-back three to fall.
Jalen Brunson's jumper cut the deficit to 89-85 with 4:45 remaining, but Lithuania reeled off the next six points and held on down the stretch for the victory.
Anthony Edwards had 35 points for the USA in the loss, going 14-for-25 from the field and 5-for-12 from 3-point range.
Seven players reached double figures for Lithuania in a balanced effort, including 12 points and seven rebounds from NBA veteran big man Jonas Valanciunas.
Despite the loss, the United States officially qualified for the 2024 Olympics on Sunday. The top two teams in the World Cup from North and South America secure Olympic berths and losses on Sunday by Puerto Rico, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic ensured that the USA would be one of the top two finishers from the Americas.
The quarterfinals begin on Tuesday, with the United States playing Italy at 8:40 AM ET. They will be on the same side of the bracket as Germany, who will play Latvia at 4:45 AM ET on Wednesday.
On the other side of the bracket, Lithuania faces Serbia and Canada takes on Slovenia.
All teams in the quarterfinals will play three more games, as there is a full consolation bracket in place to rank the finishing teams first through eighth.