US basketball and New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson goes PERFECTly shooting 9-9 from the field to secure a 98-88 victory over Spain in the World Cup warm-up
- Tyrese Haliburton and Mikal Bridges were also strong in the game
- Team USA improved to 3-0 in their pre-World Cup tour with two warmups left
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Jalen Brunson put in an absolutely standout performance for the United States as he put on a perfect night of shooting from the field this summer in the team’s biggest test to date.
The New York Knicks star point guard was 9 for 9 from the field en route to a team-best 21 points, Memphis Grizzlies big man Jars Jackson Jr. added 14 and the US pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Spain 98-88 in a pre-World Cup exhibition among tournament favorites.
Spain is the No. 1 ranked team in the world according to FIBA; the US is number 2.
The Americans shot 67% – 71% on 2-pointers, 56% on 3-pointers, while Spain shot 42%.
The USA improved to 3-0 in their pre-World Cup tour with two games remaining before arriving in Manila for the tournament.
Jalen Brunson had a perfect shooting performance for team USA in a victory over Spain
Tyrese Haliburton and Mikal Bridges were also strong in the game
America has averaged 101.3 points in those three games against Puerto Rico (117-74), Slovenia (92-62) and Spain, with an average winning margin of 27.7 points.
The USA led only 73-72 going into the final 10-minute quarter before seven consecutive points on the stretch pushed the lead to 97-84.
Indiana Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton had 12 assists in just under 22 minutes off the bench for the USA, his second double-assist game so far this summer.
Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges scored 12 points and three players – Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans, Lakers guard Austin Reaves and Minnesota Timberwolves cornerstone Anthony Edwards – each added 11.
Santi Aldama led Spain with 14 points. Willy Hernangomez scored 13 points, Alex Abrines had 12 and Juancho Hernangomez 11.
The US leaves for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Monday for the final two pre-World Cup matches against Greece and Germany next weekend.
The FIBA World Cup kicks off August 25 in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan; the Americans begin their World Cup schedule on August 26.
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