Team USA will conclude its preparations for the 2023 FIBA World Cup on Sunday with a friendly against Germany in Abu Dhabi. This is the last of five tune-up games for the Americans, who have so far made easy work of their competition, winning every game by double digits.
They’ll be looking to do the same against Germany, though this figures to be a slightly tougher test than many of their previous contests. Germany is ranked No. 11 in the world by FIBA, and features a number of NBA players, including Dennis Schroder, Franz Wagner, Mo Wagner and Daniel Theis.
Team USA has been in fine form during their preparations for the World Cup, and most recently dispatched a Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Greece by 22 points. Anthony Edwards led the way in that game with 21 points, and has now led the Americans in scoring in three of the four friendlies. The Timberwolves star has emerged as the go-to scoring option for this team.
Another encouraging sign for the Americans in the win over Greece was that they shot 11-of-26 from 3-point land. Outside shooting has been an issue during these friendlies, but they finally started to knock down some shots on Friday. Let’s see if they can keep that trend going against Germany.
Prediction
Team USA has had an easy time during these friendlies. Puerto Rico was overmatched, and both Slovenia (Luka Doncic) and Greece (Giannis Antetokounmpo) were missing their star players. Only Spain has truly tested them, but even that resulted in a 10-point win. Germany should provide a challenge somewhere between Spain and Slovenia/Greece. Expect Team USA to win by 12-15 points.