France handed the United States its first FIBA World Cup loss since 2006, in an 89-79 upset Wednesday.
Team USA’s quarterfinal loss snapped a streak of 58 international wins with NBA players on its roster.
After trailing France 45-39 at halftime, the United States seemed poised for a second-half comeback when coach Gregg Popovich implemented another small-ball lineup to go up against French center Rudy Gobert – the Utah Jazz defensive juggernaut scored 13 points in the first half.
From a 10-point deficit early in the third quarter, another Jazzman, Donovan Mitchell, led the United States to a three-point lead.