Final Score: United States 86, Mexico 63
DeMarcus Cousins battles for a rebound with Mexico’s Marco Ramos. (Getty)
USA basketball in Barcelona. Something about that combination tends to lead to blowout wins for the Americans, and Saturday is no exception.
The Americans returned to the site of the Dream Team’s 1992 run to the Gold Medal for Saturday’s knockout round game against Mexico, and the result was familiar: A blowout victory.
Team USA was clicking from the first quarter on and turned it into an all-out rout in the third quarter routing the Mexicans 86-63 and earning a spot in the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals.
ESPN has a full box score here. Read on for a recap and check out a live photo gallery by clicking the link below.
Key Stat: The United States Shot 45 Percent From 3-Point Range
Thanks largely to the display put on by Steph Curry (more on that below), the United States finished 13-for-29 (45 percent) from 3-point range.
Curry shot 6-for-9 from downtown to lead the way, and Clay Thompson (3-for-9), Rudy Gay (2-for-3) and James Harden (2-for-5) all hit multiple 3s.
Curry scored 20 points to lead the U.S., while Thompson had 15 off the bench. Harden (12 points), DeMarcus Cousins (11) and Gay (10) all scored in double figures.
Gustavo Ayon scored 25 to lead Mexico, which shot just 25 percent from 3 and 38 percent from the free throw line.
The 86 points were the lowest scored by the U.S. this summer, but with a huge lead from the third quarter on, coach Mike Krzyzewski took the foot off the gas pedal.
Steph Curry Put on a Show in the 2nd Half
Steph Curry, who had struggled shooting early in the tournament, put on a show in the third quarter as the United States turned it into an all-out rout.
Curry scored 11 points in the third quarter as the United States outscored the Mexicans 24-11 and opened a 66-38 lead.
Team USA Led by 15 at the Break
At the half on ESPN2, @USABasketball leads MEXICO 42-27 on Harden’s 12 #Spain2014 @FIBA Stats: http://t.co/Lo9XDocbs1 pic.twitter.com/i1JSsFfMMt
— NBA (@NBA) September 6, 2014
The United States quickly opened up a 17-point lead in the second quarter and threatened to run away with it before Mexico came to life in the last 2 minutes of the half and prevented Team USA from stretching the lead any further.
James Harden had 12 points at the half, 8 of them in the second quarter, to lead the U.S.
Gustavo Aron had 12 to lead Mexico.
The U.S. Jumped Out to a Double-Digit Lead Early
.@drose can’t get the follow lay-up to fall, but @usabasketball is still up 10 on Mexico after 1 on ESPN2. pic.twitter.com/7OnyqQxOM0
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 6, 2014
Team USA has had several slow starts throughout the course of the tournament, but this wasn’t one of them.
Steph Curry (2-for-3 3-point shooting) and Kenneth Faried scored 6 points apiece and the U.S. used a 10-4 run to open a 23-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Americans held the Mexicans to 31 percent shooting in the first quarter and won the rebounding battle 15-10.
The United States led 9-2 before Mexico went on a 7-0 run to get within 4. But that was as close as the underdogs got in the quarter.
