The Americans’ quest for an unprecedented third consecutive world title began in confident fashion with an 88-67 win against the Czech Republic in Shanghai, China, on Sunday.

The defending champions led by just three points after the first quarter, before opening up a 14-point lead by halftime and the controlling the game comfortably in the final two quarters.

Donovan Mitchell topped the scoring with 16 points, shooting seven-for-11 from the field, while Harrison Barnes added 14 points and Kemba Walker finished with 13 points, shooting a near-perfect six-of-eight from the field.

Sterner tests than the Czech Republic await but Team USA coach Gregg Popovich was pleased with the defensive effort, as his team kept its opponents below 20 points in each quarter.

“That’s got to be our calling card,” the San Antonio Spurs coach told Fox Sports after the game.

“We’re going to try to execute better and better as time goes on, but defensively we’ve got to put our money there. It’s what we have to be about to have an opportunity.”

Team USA arrived at the World Cup as two-time defending champion but with some doubts over its roster, which distinctly lacks the star power of previous tournaments.

Walker is the only All-Star guard in the team this year, compared to the 2016 Olympics when Team USA boasted the likes of Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan and Jimmy Butler.

Despite the relative lack of stardust, Team USA looked well-organized and defensively solid, but Walker was under no illusions about what lies ahead for his team.

“It’s a different game than the NBA; it’s a lot more physical,” he was quoted as saying by ESPN.

“We’re Team USA, we’re going to get everybody’s best shot, especially physically. Teams are going to be tough against us. We just have to hold our composure and be tough and play through everything.”

Next up for Team USA is Turkey, who got its World Cup campaign off to a promising start with an 86-67 win against Japan on Sunday.

Ranked 17th in the world, Turkey opened up a 16-point gap in the first period and never looked back. Milwaukee Bucks big man Ersan Ilyasova finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Melih Mahmutoglu added 17 points shooting seven-of-10 from the field.

Turkey no longer has the caliber of players that propelled it to silver medal in 2010 but remains a talented outfit, with a number of players NBA fans will be familiar with.

Aside from Ilyasova, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman and Philadelphia 76ers guard Furkan Korkmaz are both key to Turkey’s chances of reaching the second round.

Here’s all you need to know ahead of Tuesday.

When and where is the game?

The defending champions take on Turkey at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center on Tuesday, September 3.

The game tips off at 8:30 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. ET).

The arena will also host Team USA’s final group game against Japan on Thursday.

TV channel

The FIBA World Cup will not be broadcast on TV in the U.S., but there are plenty of other ways to keep up with the action.

Live stream

Live stream for every game of the 2019 FIBA World Cup will be available via ESPN+.

Team news

Both teams are expected to be at full strength on Tuesday, with neither reporting any injury problems after their first game of the tournament.

Odds

According to Oddschecker, Team USA is a 21.5-point favorite and is 91/100 to win and cover the spread, while Turkey is a 12/1 underdog. Meanwhile, the over/under bar in terms of total points scored is set at 175.