The battle for the 2023 Basketball World Championships began on September 27 in Lublin, Poland. There was much excitement for Team U.S.A., returning to the tournament for the first time since 2019. Once the roster was made public, the excitement increased by an umpteenth level when two NBA G League players were included in the lineup.

The four-member star-studded U.S. men’s team had Matthew Hurt, Jalen Lecque, Trey McGowens, and Bryce Wills. Both Hurt and Wills had faced a recent lack of drafting interest from NBA teams, which put their career trajectory into question. However, these two legendary players squashed all doubts about their potential on foreign soil.

NBA stars shine at Basketball World Championship

USA Basketball 3×3 used their official Twitter account to canonize Matthew Hurt and Bryce Wills’ performance in Poland, writing, “1-2 Punch 👊@Bryce_Wills5 (13) & @HurtMatthew (12) are inside the Top 10 of men’s scorers after 2 games!” The megastars took on Japan’s players on the first day of the Basketball World Championship, and immediately, the size difference between the two teams was apparent. The former Blue Devil sensation, Matthew Hurt, gave the team a huge lift, scoring 7 glorious points with clutch rebounds.

His teammate Bryce Wills also paid in dividends, scoring six points and staving off the Japanese players when they mounted a strong challenge. Finally, the U.S. team was able to pull off a decisive victory with 21 points against Japan’s 12 points. The NBA stars showed their prowess by disposing of the Japanese team with 1:39 seconds left on the clock.

The two other members of the Team U.S.A. also contributed to the total tally. Trey McGowens, a former Husker, added five points, and his teammate Jalen Lecque contributed three points to the final score. Although the team had managed to maintain a lead from the start of the game, their piece de resistance came in the penalty round. All the NBA legends scored four of their final points from the free-throw line. However, the red, white, and blue had one more opponent to tackle that day.

The challenge between team U.S.A. vs. Italy

The U.S. 3×3 men’s basketball team finished the first day of the Basketball World Championships on a high note. Both Matthew Hurt and Bryce Wills erected an unsurmountable challenge for their next opponents from Italy. However, the rivals were not letting up easily, and the game stayed tied at 4 till the last nine minutes. The U.S.A. took Italy by surprise with an 8-1 run through the 5:37 mark. During the final stretch of the match, the U.S. team found their offensive rhythm and brought home the victory with 21 points.

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This time, Bryce Wills had seven points, and Matthew Hurt scored five. After these two matches, both Wills and Hurt are among the top 10 scorers in the championship. While they faced humiliation on home soil during the NBA draft, the two legends have proven their worth on the international stage.

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