MANILA, Philippines – Despite finishing with just three points in their 100-63 rout of Italy in their FIBA World Cup knockout quarterfinal match, Anthony Edwards still made an impact beyond plain scoring, his teammate Mikal Bridges noted.
Bridges, who top-scored for the Americans with 24 points in their semis berth-clinching win, lauded Edwards’ unselfishness in the game.
“Ant [Edwards] can get 30 whenever he wants, like, easily. And just for him to be unselfish… We talked to him and tried to help him to find guys, that’s what he did,” Bridges said of Edwards, USA’s leading scorer with 17.3 points per game.
“He’s probably the happiest dude in the locker room right now, so… shout out to Ant for that and he knows how dominant he is. He is very confident so just to find guys. I think we kind of fed off that,” he added.
Edwards just shot 1-of-6 from the field but had three rebounds, three assists and a block in 18 minutes of play. His three points is his lowest output so far in the tournament.
The Minnesota Timberwolves star scored 35 points in a losing effort against Lithuania on Sunday, which was also Team USA’s first defeat in the tournament.
Bridges said that Edwards’ joy was contagious in the role he was given.
With these, Team USA’s swagger “never goes away,” he added.
“We were just ready and we will stay ready until we get out of here,” Bridges said.
The Americans will be facing either Germany or Latvia in the semifinals.