"Shoutout to number 22!": Anthony Edwards heaps Eimantas Bendzius with praise for clutch 3-pointer in Lithuania's 110-104 win over Team U.S.A.

For the first time in the tournament, Anthony Edwards and Team U.S.A. tasted defeat at the hands of Lithuania on Sunday night. The Americans as the favorites had won the match-up; however, Lithuania came up with a big-time performance to remain undefeated and dethrone one of the best teams in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Anthony Edwards' impeccable performance wasn't enough to stop Lithuania's relentless assault. While many of the players from Team U.S.A. seemed upset after the game, Edwards remained composed and showed nothing but love for his opponents. Anthony mentioned Eimantas Bendzius for performing incredibly against the Americans,

"Nope. They beat us fair and square man. Shoutout to number 22. He hit two big threes in the fourth when he was making that run, off balance, falling out of bounds. One of them was two seconds left. I stripped the ball, he picked it up and threw it. Shoutout to him man. It was his night. They beat us fair and square."

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Anthony Edwards' 35-point outing wasn't enough to stop Lithuania

USA vs Lithuania - Anthony Edwards

Edwards came up huge for Team U.S.A. as he made 35 points in an attempt to keep his team undefeated in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. However, Lithuania's barrage of baskets was too much for Edwards to keep up with. As a result, the Americans fell 110-104.

Sunday night's matchup was Team U.S.A.'s most difficult yet. The only time they had the lead was when they had scored the first basket of the game 2-0. Unfortunately, Lithuania took over the rest of the game with a lead as big as 17 points in the first half.

One of the keys to Lithuania's success was shooting. They made nine consecutive threes without missing any of their shots, which gave the Americans a hard time. Throughout the game, only Edwards had an answer for their offense. Sadly, relying on one player wasn't enough to make a comeback.

Team U.S.A. also struggled with fouls, which held back coach Steve Kerr from running his best lineups. Despite all the negatives, Kerr was still satisfied with the way his team played. For now, they'll head back to the drawing board and regroup after a disappointing second-round finish.