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Japan wrapped up Group E play against Team USA on Thursday, losing 98-45 in a rout. The highlight of the game was Rui Hachimura's dunk over Myles Turner, but Japan struggled against the superior talented Team USA.
Hachimura finished the game with four points, four rebounds, and two steals on 2-of-8 shooting. Team USA stifled the incoming Wizards rookie, forcing him to take jump shots. Harrison Barnes, one of the NBA's top stretch-four defenders, guarded Hachimura most of the game. The real struggle for Japan was at guard as the team's backcourt had trouble finding Hachimura for entry passes and moving the ball in general. Japan finished with 18 turnovers, though Hachimura did not have any.
Jaylen Brown led Team USA with 20 points off the bench, followed by Kemba Walker's 15 and Barnes' 14. Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum both sat out with injuries for the Americans.
Japan was already unable to advance to the second round before this game, and will now play two more games in what's called the 17th-32nd Classification. FIBA uses these couple of games to rank all 32 teams at the end of the tournament.
On Saturday (Sept. 7), Japan will take on New Zealand, who the team played twice in international friendlies in August. On Monday (Sept. 9), Japan will face Montenegro in its tournament finale. Hachimura may not play in those games; we will monitor his status in the coming days.