WASHINGTON — Joe Johnson scored 18 points and the United States overcame a 10-point first-half deficit to beat Puerto Rico 93-76 Thursday night in World Cup qualifying.
The Americans (2-1) just need to avoid finishing bottom of their four-team group to advance to the next qualifying round, and they seem eminently capable of clearing that bar despite the absence of NBA players. Johnson, 40, a seven-time All-Star who briefly returned to the NBA and played one game for the Boston Celtics in December, is the only big name on America’s current roster. Most of the players came from the G League.
The Puerto Ricans (1-2), who seemed to have most of the small crowd on their side, led 32-22 in the second quarter after a layup by Ismael Romero, but the US struggled to recover. The Americans trailed 44-42 at halftime and then dominated the third quarter.
Jared Harper’s 3-pointer gave the US a 71-58 lead, and then a Jordan Bell steal and dunk pushed the lead to 15.
The Americans will face Mexico on Sunday. The United States lost to Mexico 97-88 in November.
The other United States victory was 95-90 over Cuba. This was a much more emphatic victory. Matt Ryan of the Grand Rapids Gold scored 15 points, and Justin Wright-Foreman of the Birmingham Squadron added 13.
Javier Mojica led Puerto Rico with 18.
The World Cup takes place next year from August 25 to September 2. 10 in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines. Teams can qualify directly from the World Cup for the 2024 Olympics.
