Team USA fell to Lithuania and Latvia in the 3×3 basketball competition earlier today. The men for Team USA have been struggling in the 3×3 basketball competition throughout the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 20-18 loss to Lithuania and 21-19 loss to Latvia drop USA to 0-4 in the competition with three games left to play. They will likely need to win all three remaining games to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Team USA’s best offensive player, Jimmer Fredette missed the game due to a groin injury suffered in the previous game. Even without Fredette, Team USA got out to a great start and were leading 10-6 against Lithuania. Lithuania quickly cut into the lead and eventually took a 20-18 lead. With just seconds left on the clock, USA’s Canyon Barry missed a game-tying shot from the top of the key. Against Latvia, the US was up at least five points throughout the game but Latvia mounted a large comeback to win the game. The USA takes on France tomorrow where they will be aiming to turn things around. How will the team fare?
Team USA Drops to 0-4
The 2024 Paris Olympics have not been kind to the United States 3×3 Men’s basketball team. To kick things off, they lost to Serbia 22-14. The next day, they lost to Poland 19-17. Finally today, they dropped their third and then fourth in a row in the 20-18 loss to Lithuania and 21-19 loss to Latvia. Their next match is tomorrow against France. The French team has a record of 2-2. This is as close to a must-win game as you can get if you are in the United States. They need to go 3-4 to essentially lock up a knockout round spot.
It is surprising to see the United States struggle in a basketball event considering they have historically dominated the sport. The United States Men’s and Women’s 5v5 teams have won all of their games this Olympics by double digits. If you watch the 3×3 competition at all, you will notice a lot of different rules compared to the typical 3×3 that you play with your friends.
It’s a fast-paced game where the ball is cleared out to the three-point line make or miss. There are 10 minutes on the clock and there is a 12 second shot clock. The first team to 21 points (scoring by 1’s and 2’s) wins, unless neither scores 21, then the team ahead with zeroes on the clock wins. 3×3 was first introduced in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The United States did not have a men’s team participate in 2020.
Fredette Nursing Injury
Jimmer Fredette missed today’s action with a groin injury he suffered in Wednesday’s match against Poland. There is not a whole lot of time off between games so returning to the court will be difficult. Anyone that has had a groin injury before knows that it won’t go away quickly, and will be constantly nagging when you are moving around. Hopefully, Jimmer will be able to get back on the court soon.
It is cool seeing players like Fredette and Canyon Barry playing competitive basketball still. Each of these guys introduced themselves to basketball fans in “March Madness,” Fredette in 2011 and Barry in 2017. The United States is going to need them to produce some magic if they have any hope of winning out and getting into the knockout stages of the competition.
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