Paolo Banchero’s 21 points help US shake off early struggles to beat New Zealand at FIBA World Cup.
— Paolo Banchero knows all about the haka, the traditional dance that was performed by New Zealand’s players pregame on Saturday as the traditional rallying cry to show national pride and serve as a challenge to opponents.
He accepted that challenge.
Banchero scored 21 points off the bench in his first World Cup game, Anthony Edwards added 14 and the US shook off a 10-point early deficit on the way to beating New Zealand 99-72 in the tournament opener for both teams.
Jaren Jackson Jr. and Austin Reaves each scored 12 for the Americans, who remained unbeaten in six games this summer — the first five of them exhibitions. This game was the first that counted for the Americans, who are trying to win the World Cup for the sixth time and erase the memory of finishing seventh in FIBA’s biggest tournament four years ago in China.
It wasn’t easy for the pre-tournament favorites: Their lead was only 12 with 2:01 to go in the third before Banchero hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give the US its biggest edge of the night to that point, and the Americans kept control from there.
New Zealand’s players performed that pregame haka — the show of dancing, stomping, and chanting done by the entire 12-man roster — with the American players standing at the other end and watching in silence.
The haka worked; New Zealand took a quick 14-4 lead. A 12-2 run by the US tied the game, Tyrese Haliburton’s 3-pointer with 6:58 left in the first half put the Americans up for good, the lead was 45-36 by the half, and the winners kept pulling away.
UP NEXT
New Zealand: Faces Jordan on Monday.
USA: Faces Greece on Monday.
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