MANILA, Philippines – Brimming with confidence, Anthony Edwards and Team USA put the rest of the FIBA World Cup competition on notice, convincingly taking care of their last assignment in the group stages en route to an impressive sweep Wednesday.
Edwards dropped 22 points, including 13 in the first quarter, as the Americans thrashed Jordan, 110-62, to dominate Group C of the tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.
In the first period alone, the Minnesota Timberwolves star outscored the entire Jordan squad, which only managed to put up 12 points. It was a showcase game for the USA, which had a better start this time around, opening the hostilities with an 8-0 run and never looking back.
At the post-game press conference, the 22-year-old Edwards, who also recorded eight rebounds and six assists, was asked if he feels any pressure, being the likely leader of the young USA squad.
“You say pressure? No, not at all. Man, I love the game of basketball. It's fun for me, man. I put in the work every day. So yeah, no pressure,” said Edwards, who already had 18 points by halftime against Jordan.
USA is marching on to the tournament’s second round also riding the momentum of a 99-72 win over New Zealand in their opener and a 109-81 rout of Greece in their second match. And with Wednesday’s obliteration of the Rondae Hollis-Jefferson-led Jordan, the Americans have beaten their opponents by an average of 34.3 points.
In the second round, however, things will get tougher for the Americans, with European standouts Montenegro and Lithuania — led by NBA players Nikola Vucevic and Jonas Valanciunas, respectively — awaiting them.
But Edwards is unperturbed.
“I think we're gonna win. We gotta beat them also. I think we got a great chance to win. We got a great coaching staff, we got great players,” added Edwards, whose game highlights include windmill slam off a steal that pushed USA lead by 34 points, 75-39, with 5:42 left in the third canto.
“Our confidence is at an all-time high, so we're really not gonna worry about those guys.”