USA Basketball vs. Lithuania: Game Grades, Analysis for FIBA World Cup Matchup

A spot in the 2014 FIBA World Cup gold-medal game was on the line Thursday, and the United States overpowered Lithuania 96-68.

Kyrie Irving paced Team USA with 18 points, but sixth man Klay Thompson delivered the premier all-around performance for Mike Krzyzewski's team.

Jonas Valanciunas and Mindaugas Kuzminskas contributed 15 points each for the Lithuanians, who shot just 2-of-18 from three-point distance and 30.4 percent overall.

The United States overcame yet another slow start, holding an eight-point lead at halftime before outscoring Lithuania 33-14 during the pivotal third frame.

Lithuania Grades

Mindaugas Kuzminskas: A
Jonas Valanciunas: B+
Adas Juskevicius: B-
Donatas Motiejunas: D+
Rest of Team: C-

United States Grades

Klay Thompson: A
James Harden: B+
Anthony Davis: C+
Kyrie Irving: B
Rest of Team: B-

Lithuania

Mindaugas Kuzminskas: A

Kuzminskas, who had scored a mere 12 points throughout the entire tournament, emerged as a pleasant surprise for the Lithuanians.

He was a major reason his squad stayed close until halftime, racking up nine boards and two blocks beyond his team-high 15 points.

Jonas Valanciunas: B+

USA opponents must deal with Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, and Valanciunas challenged them both—to the point that they each fouled out. More importantly, he capitalized at the line and converted 11 of 13 attempts from the charity stripe.

Adas Juskevicius: B-

Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

Entering the contest with a 57.1 mark from distance, Adas Juskevicius was most efficient when heading to the rim. The guard missed all four three-pointers and seven of his eight total shots, but Juskevicius knocked down all 10 free throws.

Donatas Motiejunas: D+

An NBA teammate of James Harden's, Lithuanian forward Donatas Motiejunas was completely silenced by Team USA's suffocating defense. Motiejunas' forgettable day ended with a 1-of-6 performance from the field and 0-of-2 shooting from the line while being tagged with four personal fouls.

Rest of Team: C-

Martynas Pocius scored 10 points largely in mop-up duty, and Darjus Lavrinovic managed nine more. Renaldas Seibutis, the team's second-leading scorer, was held without a basket by the United States' great defense.

The remainder of the bench—Paulius Jankunas, Simas Jasaitis, Ksistof Lavrinovic, Sarunas Vasiliauskas—clanged all seven shots and committed seven turnovers.

United States

Klay Thompson: A

And he did just that. Thompson was once again an extraordinary defender for the U.S., especially when his man attacked the rim. In addition to his 16 points, the versatile guard registered two blocks and a steal while constantly altering other shots and passes.

"It's easy out there when you play out there with four of the best. My job is to get easy shots," he told ESPN during a halftime interview.

James Harden: B+

Foul trouble slowed James Harden in the first half, but he exploded for all 16 of his points during the third quarter, including seven during the game-breaking 18-2 run. The southpaw also showed quick hands by grabbing four steals and efficiently moving the ball in transition.

David Ramos/Getty Images

Anthony Davis: C+

As we've come to expect, Davis was solid on both ends of the floor and tallied eight points, six rebounds and two blocks. However, the starting center fouled out and lost possession twice, too.

Kyrie Irving: B

While Kyrie Irving continued to play one-on-three in the fast break and was slightly out of control, he was rather useful as a shooter. Of course, the point guard would be markedly more effective if he would just slow down and utilize his all-world teammates.

Rest of Team: B-

Cousins defended Valanciunas well in the low post and had a solid performance, nearly throwing a punch notwithstanding. Though Lithuania didn't even guard him on the offensive end multiple times, Kenneth Faried still brought outstanding energy.

Additionally, Derrick Rose seems to be playing too fast for his own good, finishing 1-of-8 from the field with three turnovers. Stephen Curry netted 16 points but was limited in meaningful action because of poor defensive choices and four subsequent avoidable fouls.

Coming Up Next

Team USA advances to the tournament finals, looking for back-to-back FIBA World Cup championship wins. The U.S. will face the winner of France vs. Serbia on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Lithuania will play on Saturday, Sept. 13, taking on the loser of France vs. Serbia and playing for its second straight FIBA bronze medal.