Myles Turner calls Team USA loss to Australia 'a wake-up call'
Tuesday 27 August 2019 08:25, UK
USA Basketball starting center Myles Turner says the team's shock loss to Australia was a timely "wake-up call" ahead of the FIBA World Cup.
Team USA bounced back from a surprise 98-94 loss to Australia with a comfortable 84-68 victory over Canada in Sydney on Monday.
Turner powered his way to a 10-point, 15-rebound double-double in the Americans' win and, speaking on court after the game, admitted being upset by the Boomers two days earlier, but insisted it had given the team the motivation to raise their intensity.
"We really locked in [on defense]," he said. "I think our last game was a wake-up call for us. We took [losing to Australia] to heart and we came out [against Canada] and performed."
Asked if his own performance had helped energise his team-mates against Canada, Turner said: "That's my role on this team, to come out here and provide energy. I want to be that guy so whatever it takes to win, that's what I'm going to do."
Jaylen Brown was Team USA's leading scorer against Canada, bagging 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
Speaking immediately after the game, the Boston Celtics guard issued a warning to his team-mates that time is running out for them to find cohesion before their opening World Cup game against the Czech Republic on September 1.
"It felt good, just coming out playing my game and being aggressive, but we've got a lot of work to do," Brown said
"We've got to speed up that learning curve. We can't have any drop-offs. We have a great responsibility on our shoulders so we've got to come out and play really good basketball.
"We've got a lot of room for growth and it's going to be good when it all comes together but we've got to keep working, keep watching film and keep holding each other accountable.
"The sky is the limit for this group but we have to be able to lock in and believe in each other."
