On Tuesday morning, Hornets center Willy Hernangómez and the Spanish National Team knocked off Poland, 90-78, for their sixth win in as many outings at the FIBA World Cup and advanced to the competition’s semifinal stage for the first time since 2006.
Twenty-four hours later, Charlotte teammate Nicolas Batum and the French squad pulled off one of FIBA’s biggest upsets in recent memory by defeating the United States, 89-79, to book their own ticket to the semifinals. The outcome snapped a 58-game winning streak for the USA with NBA players, which dated back to a loss to Greece at the 2006 World Cup.