SAPPORO, Japan — Maybe it's the time zone.

Three of the United States' first four games in the FIBA world championships have been played at 7:30 p.m. here — which is 6:30 a.m. Eastern. And the Americans are having trouble waking up by tipoff.

Slow starts didn't hurt them against Puerto Rico and Slovenia. But it nearly cost the U.S. against Italy on Wednesday night. The U.S. trailed by 12 early in the second half before rallying for a 94-85 victory.

"I don't know what it is, but we can't keep doing that," said captain Carmelo Anthony, who scored 35 points to set a U.S. world championships record.

The U.S. trailed midway through the third quarter, its latest deficit in four Group D games. Puerto Rico and Slovenia also had early leads against the Americans.

The difference is that Italy is a topflight team. But the U.S. will face even better squads in the knockout rounds.

"I think it's a good thing," assistant coach Mike D'Antoni said. "It shows us what it's going to be like in the medal round. They'll learn from this."

The good news is that the victory clinched Group D, which means the U.S. will avoid Argentina or Spain, two of the tourney's powerhouses, until the final. After wrapping up Group D play against Senegal on Thursday night, the Americans will play the fourth-place team in Group C on Sunday.

Italy led 45-36 at intermission.