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Kerr laments poor defense as US leave World Cup without medal

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Members of the USA basketball team react during the last few minutes of the 2023 FIBA World Cup game against Canada in Pasay City on September 10, 2023. Canada, won 127-118. 8Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/09/10/20230910-fiba-usa-canada-third-place22.jpg"/><figcaption>Members of the USA basketball team react during the last few minutes of the 2023 FIBA World Cup game against Canada in Pasay City on September 10, 2023. Canada, won 127-118. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA -- Head coach Steve Kerr said the United States &quot;didn&#x27;t defend well enough&quot; at the FIBA World Cup after losing to Canada in Sunday&#x27;s bronze-medal game to go home empty-handed.</p><p>The United States went down 127-118 in overtime to miss out on a medal for the second straight World Cup, after finishing seventh in China in 2019.</p><p>It was the Americans&#x27; third defeat of the tournament, having lost to Lithuania in the second round and Germany in the semi-finals.</p><p>Kerr said his team &quot;tried everything&quot; to stop Canada, who finished on the World Cup podium for the first time.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/10/23/fiba-canada-captures-bronze-outlasts-team-usa-in-ot">FIBA: Canada captures bronze, outlasts Team USA in OT</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/multimedia/photo/09/10/23/canada-wins-bronze-in-fiba-world-cup">Canada seals historic podium finish in FIBA World Cup</a></li></ul><p>&quot;When it comes down to it for us in this tournament, we put ourselves in a great position, we got to the semi-finals, we were right there, we just didn&#x27;t get enough stops,&quot; said Kerr.</p><p>&quot;We didn&#x27;t defend well enough against Germany or Canada. That&#x27;s the bottom line.&quot;</p><p>Kerr was without Paolo Banchero, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Ingram, who all fell ill after a bug swept through the US camp.</p><p>The Americans fell behind in the first and third quarters but took the game into overtime when Mikal Bridges hit a game-tying three-pointer with 0.2sec remaining.</p><p>Canada retook control as soon as the extra period got underway, scoring the first five points of overtime.</p><p>&quot;They did what they had to do,&quot; said Anthony Edwards, who finished as the Americans&#x27; top scorer with 24 points.</p><p>&quot;They finished the game.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/10/23/canada-targets-olympic-success-after-first-world-cup-bronze">FIBA: Canada targets Olympic success after first World Cup bronze</a></li></ul><p>Germany were set to face Serbia in the final later on Sunday.</p><p>The United States have not won the World Cup since 2014, when they beat Serbia in the final.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s hard,&quot; said Kerr.</p><p>&quot;These teams are really good, they&#x27;re well coached, they&#x27;ve got continuity and they play together for a long time.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s difficult, and it&#x27;s been difficult already.&quot;</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>For more stories on the FIBA World Cup, click <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/fibaworldcup2023">here</a>.</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wl7ssgB2UbE?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Steve Kerr said the United States 'didn't defend well enough' at the FIBA World Cup after losing to Canada in Sunday's bronze-medal game.