Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina played stifling defense and scored five huge points down the stretch as France pulled off a stunning upset over Team USA on Wednesday as they eliminated them from the FIBA World Cup.
The 89-79 win came in the knockout round, and Ntilikina was incredibly fired up after the final buzzer.
FRENCH PRINCE.
- The Knicks Wall (@TheKnicksWall) September 11, 2019
FIRED UP. pic.twitter.com/YKmK1EPiiz
The loss for Team USA was their first in the last 13 years of international play.
The 21-year-old Ntilikina finished with 11 points, three assists, and one steal while playing just over 25 minutes, and his performance included a game-tying three with four minutes and 35 seconds left in the game.
#FIBAFRANK shut down Kemba on the defensive end, came right down and drills a a three 🎯 🇫 pic.twitter.com/NlFr9uWa6x
- The Knicks Wall (@TheKnicksWall) September 11, 2019
The subject of trade rumors, the future of Ntilikina has been very much up in the air, but he has remained steady in the face of the uncertainty and said earlier this summer that he was happy to be a Knick.
"I'm happy to be a Knick," Ntilikina told reporters in July. "I still take as much as I can get from every situation that I can. I'm in their jersey. I'm happy to be a Knick. I'm happy to be here. I'll work very hard to make this situation successful."
Ntilikina -- the No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft -- averaged 5.7 points and 2.7 assists in 21 minutes per game last season. He played in 43 games, limited by various injuries over the course of the year.