102. Team USA Loses; Wagners Undefeated; Paolo v. Italy Quarterfinal Next

Team USA and Paolo Banchero just suffered their first loss at the hands of Lithuania but are still moving onto the quarterfinals. The US also earned their automatic ticket into the 2024 Paris Olympics (as did Canada). We cannot get a Paolo v. Wagner brothers World Cup final, that dream died. The Wagner brothers are 5-0 heading into the quarterfinals knockout stage despite Franz missing the last four games. Moritz has been great off the bench for Germany. A USA v. Germany semifinals meeting is still in play. Paolo must deal with Italy first in the quarterfinals, and that is going to be a fascinating matchup for various reasons. Goga Bitadze and Joe Ingles are going home with Georgia and Australia crashing out of the second group stage phase. Georgia will be happy with Bitadze’s performances and the nation’s basketball progress. Georgia must play in next summer’s pre-Olympic qualification tournament if they want to play in Paris. Joe and the Aussies will be disappointed in not reaching the quarterfinals, but Australia also earned an automatic bid for the ‘24 Olympics. All of that and more! #LetsGoMagic Warning: Adult Language