Associated Press
Manila, Philippines — Losing a game at the Basketball World Cup, the U.S. national team said, was quite the wake-up call. It brought a renewed focus, an extra level of commitment, even some promises to one another that things would change.
Poor Italy.
The Americans turned words into actions and handed the Italians their worst loss in a global tournament — the World Cup or the Olympics — in nearly 45 years. Mikal Bridges scored 24 points, Tyrese Haliburton added 18 on six 3-pointers and the U.