It looks like Coach K’s comments about Team USA needing to be sharper and more focused from here on out really hit home with the team, as they came out today and dominated Angola from the opening tip to reach the quarter finals…
Chauncey Billups scored 19 points, Kevin Durant had 17, and the United States powered into the quarterfinals of the World Championship with a 121-66 victory over Angola on Monday.
With Durant scoring 17 and Billups 16 in the first half, the Americans saved their most impressive performance in Istanbul for the knockout round, overwhelming the Angolans from the start after a couple of lackluster performances to close the group stage.
The U.S. forced turnovers that led to easy baskets in transition, and when forced into the halfcourt, shot 18 of 38 from 3-point range, one off the team record for 3s in a world championship game.
Eric Gordon and Rudy Gay also scored 17 for the Americans, who will face either Russia or New Zealand on Thursday night. Gordon was 5 of 6 behind the arc.
Joaquim Gomes, who played collegiately at Valparaiso, scored 21 for Angola, which finished fourth in Group A. The Angolans advanced to the elimination round on a tiebreaker by virtue of their overtime victory over Germany, but had lost by 50 to Serbia, and 21 apiece to Argentina and Australia.
Read more details via the NBA.com
