The U.S. men’s basketball team—the top-ranked team in the world—was defeated by Serbia in a FIBA World Cup consolation round on Thursday, making this their worst performance at the tournament in history. Serbia won 94-89 and will advance to the fifth-place game on Saturday. This is the second loss in a row for the U.S. team since losing to France on Wednesday, breaking an undefeated streak that began in the 2006 championships. The U.S. will now finish no better than seventh in the tournament. On Saturday, Team USA will face off with the loser of Thursday’s game between Poland and the Czech Republic. The U.S. defeated the Czech Republic earlier in the tournament, but Poland would be a new opponent.
Center Myles Turner took to Twitter to express his disappointment and asked people to refrain from criticizing the team. “...this team this roster has sacrificed so much for our nation,” he wrote, “our summers, our bodies, our mental. We came up short can’t nobodies more upset than us but I refuse to tolerate any slander for our play. You cannot question our heart, our character or our spirit. We [laid] it all out on the line each and every game. Don’t disrespect us, this coaching staff or USA Basketball as a whole...”
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