USA national team staff member Tom Thibodeau has revealed that it was probably best that Derrick Rose was rested for their encounter with the Dominican Republic.
Rose took the night off from the court as the USA mauled their opposition with a 105-62 victory, with Rose wanting to focus on his long-term recovery instead of rushing back for every game.
"He's feeling a lot better, he was probably feeling good enough to play tonight, but because he hasn't played and he's trying to shake off some rust, the best thing to do was to give him the day off," said Thibodeau, according to The AP.
The US will be heading off to Spain later this month where they will take part in the 2014 World Cup of Basketball.
