BARCELONA—What happened: Well, things didn’t start all that well. The Americans had beaten this Slovenian team by 30 in an exhibition in the run up to the World Cup, and the Slovenians jumped out to an early lead and battled Team USA throughout the first half.Oh, and Kyrie Irving managed to frighten the whole of Cleveland — again — by falling on his injured hip and exiting the game in the first quarter. He turned out to be fine, and so did the Americans, who started sluggishly.Steph Curry and James Harden, specifically, had a rough first half, missing their first 13 shots combined. Slovenia was able to pull within 49-42 just before half, and it appeared they were, at the very least, somewhat in the game. Or perhaps it was business as usual, and the Americans were starting slow and building to a blowout.It was the latter. By about the middle of the third quarter, Team USA asserted itself defensively, which led to runouts and alley-oops and easy baskets. Slovenia got sloppy and frustrated, and the lead extended. There was a five-minute stretch in the third when the Team USA’s lead ballooned from seven to 20 — eventually outscoring the Slovenians 37-22 in the third — and that was all she wrote.The fourth quarter was basically a layup drill for the Americans. The 119 points was the most Team USA has scored in the tournament.
Three stars: 1. Klay Thompson. As is his wont, Thompson did his thing from the perimeter, burying 4 of 8 of his 3-point attempts en route to a game-high 20 points. But he was also effective around the basket, including setting up a few teammates with lobs. Additionally, he scored seven points in the first quarter, when the game was at least a little bit in doubt.2. Derrick Rose (+ Kyrie Irving). Rose came off the bench early in place of Irving after the Cavs star banged his hip again. The two finished with 12 points apiece, while Rose dished out five assists and Irving had four steals. The Slovenians didn’t really have a chance at staying in front of either of them, and both guards were effective in transition, even before the bloodletting that was the second half.3. Kenneth Faried. OK, pretty much every American big man had his way with the Slovenians (Mason Plumlee dunked twice, even). And sure, Anthony Davis finished with a smooth 13 and 11, and he barely broke a sweat. But Faried brought the energy Tuesday — especially in the first half, when Team USA looked a bit flat. His 14 points was tied for second-most on the team, and he finished with a game-high 11 boards.

NOTES—Team USA will face Lithuania in the semifinals Thursday.