Lithuania pulled off a stunner against Team USA, 110-104, in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, giving the Americans a taste of their first loss in this ongoing tournament on Sunday, September 3, with Vaidas Kariniauskas, taking a swipe at Austin Reaves of the United States.
The Los Angeles Lakers guard finished with just seven points on 1 of 4 shooting from the field, plus five assists before fouling out with about 13 minutes left in the game.
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Reaves is Team USA's second-highest scorer, with an average of 10.8 points in the tournament, according to FIBA.com.
"They started off 9 of 9 from three. When the team shoots like that, it's going to be hard to sustain and reduce the lead like that. Tip your hat, they played a really good game," the 25-year-old NBA player stated in a report by Basketnews.com.
With the huge win for the Lithuanians, who played a flawless game, guard Vaidas Kariniauskas rubbed salt in the wound.
The 29-year-old finished with a game-high 15 points to lead the Lithuanians against the United States and taunted Reaves on social media. He revealed the reason behind the trash talk, and the tip came from the Arkansas native's brother, Spencer Reaves.
How Lithuania bothered Austin Reaves' game
"Nothing personal, just love of the game. I played with [Reaves' brother, Spencer], so I talked to him before the game and he said 'give [Austin] a trash talk," Kariniauskas said in the postgame interview. "So I give him some."
Reaves was not the only player who had a woeful outing. Jaren Jackson Jr. also struggled, finishing with only 3 points and a rebound in 15 minutes of action.
Anthony Edwards led the way for Team USA with 35 points, while Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges chipped in 14 points each.
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