FIBA World Championship 2010: Team USA Rolling Over Angola Despite Defensive Breakdowns

If you’re a head coach, you’re probably a bit frustrated with the way Team USA played in this second quarter. Sure, Team USA is rolling, leading Angola 65-38 at halftime of this Round of 16 FIBA World Championships game. But after locking Angola down defensively in the first quarter, Team USA’s concentration waned, and Angola was able to get into a nice offensive rhythm.

Team USA is still dominating offensively, dropping 32 points in the second quarter after 33 in the first, but they allowed Angola to score 25 points of their own in the second quarter. One reason that’s happened is because Team USA is doing a poor job containing dribble penetration. Another is because Angola went to a zone defense midway through the period, which kept Team USA out on the perimeter. When Team USA missed their threes, Angola was able to push the ball up the floor and get some buckets early in the offense. Angola won’t be able to stifle Team USA’s offense fully with a zone, but better teams will later in this tournament.

Kevin Durant and Chauncey Billups are leading the way for Team USA with 17 and 16 points, respectively. As a team, Team USA has hit eight three-pointers and are making 58 percent of their shots.

Joaquim Gomes leads Angola with 13 points on 6-8 shooting, while Roberto Fortes has 11 off the bench. Angola continues to play without leading scorer Olimpio Cipriano, who has not played due to a leg injury.