The 2020 Olympics, and of course the Olympic basketball competition, was delayed due to coronavirus and is being played in 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Our daily coveage begins July 29.

Olympic Basketball Preliminary Round Groups
Group A
Czech Republic Czech Republic 1-0
France France 1-0
Iran Iran 0-1
USA USA 0-1

Group B
Australia Australia 1-0
Italy Italy 1-0
Germany Germany 0-1
Nigeria Nigeria 0-1

Group C
Argentina Argentina 0-0
Japan Japan 0-0
Slovenia Slovenia 0-0
Spain Spain 0-0

Olympic Basketball Preliminary Daily Game Schedule
All Times ET

Saturday, July 24, 2021
Czech Republic 84, Iran 78
Sunday, July 25, 2021
France 83, USA 76
Italy 92, Germany 82
Australia 84, Nigeria 67

Monday, July 26, 2021
12:40 AM: Argentina vs. Slovenia
8 AM: Japan vs. Spain

Tuesday, July 27, 2021
9 PM: Nigeria vs. Germany

Wednesday, July 28, 2021
12:40 AM: USA vs. Iran
4:20 AM: Italy vs. Australia
8 AM: Czech Republic vs. France

Thursday, July 29, 2021
12:40 AM: Slovenia vs. Japan
8 AM: Spain vs. Argentina

Friday, July 30, 2021
9 PM: Iran vs. France

Saturday, July 31, 2021
12:40 AM: Italy vs. Nigeria
4:20 AM: Australia vs. Germany
8 AM: USA vs. Czech Republic

Sunday, August 1, 2021
12:40 AM: Argentina vs. Japan
4:20 AM: Spain vs. Slovenia

Quarterfinals

Monday, August 2, 2021
9PM ET: TBD

Tuesday, August 3, 2021
12:40 AM, 4:20 AM and 8 AM games

Semifinals

Thursday, August 5, 2021
12:15 AM and 7AM games

Friday, August 6, 2021
10:30 PM Gold Medal Game

Saturday, August 7, 2021
7AM Bronze Medal game



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2016 OLYMPIC BASKETBALL COMPETITION

RELATED: Team USA Basketball page.

Essential Olympic Basketball Info:

DATES: August 6-21
August 6-15: Groups stage
August 17: Quarterfinals
August 19: Semifinals
August 21: Gold/Silver, Bronze medal games

TEAMS (12): Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Croatia, France, Lithuania, Nigeria, Serbia, Spain, USA, Venezuela

GROUPS:
Group A: France, USA, Venezuela, Serbia, China, Australia
Group B: Argentina, Spain, Brazil, Lithuania, Croatia, Nigeria

2016 OLYMPIC BASKETBALL STANDINGS:
Through August 16, 2016

FINAL GROUP STANDINGS:

Group A W-L
1. USA 5-0
2. Australia 4-1
3. France 3-2
4. Serbia 2-3
5. Venezuela 1-4
6. China 0-5

Group B W-L
1. Croatia 3-2
2. Spain 3-2
3. Lithuania 3-2
4. Argentina 3-2
5. Brazil 2-3
6. Nigeria 1-4

DAILY OLYMPIC BASKETBALL RESULTS:
All Times ET

Sat, August 6:
Australia 87, France 66
USA 119, China 62
Serbia 86, Venezuela 62

Sun, August 7:
Lithuania 82, Brazil 76
Croatia 72, Spain 70
Argentina 94, Nigeria 66

Mon, August 8:
Australia 95, Serbia 80
USA 113, Venezuela 69
France 88, China 60

Tue, August 9:
Brazil 66, Spain 65
Lithuania 89, Nigeria 80
Argentina 90, Croatia 82

Wed, August 10:
France 76, Serbia 75
USA 98, Australia 88
Venezuela 72, China 68

Thu, August 11:
Croatia 80, Brazil 76
Spain 96, Nigeria 87
Lithuania 81, Argentina 73

Fri, August 12:
Australia 93, China 68
USA 94, Serbia 91
France 96, Venezuela 56

Sat, August 13:
Argentina 111, Brazil 107
Spain 109, Lithuania 59
Nigeria 90, Croatia 76
http://www.insidehoops.com

Sun, August 14:
USA 100, France 97
Australia 81, Venezuela 56
Serbia 94, China 60

Mon, August 15:
Brazil 86, Nigeria 69
Spain 92, Argentina 73
Croatia 90, Lithuania 81

Tue, August 16: No games

Wed, August 17: Quarterfinals
Australia 90, Lithuania 64
Spain 92, France 67
USA 105, Argentina 78
Serbia 86, Croatia 83

Fri, August 19: Semifinals
USA 82, Spain 76
Serbia 87, Australia 61

Sun, August 21:
Spain 89, Australia 88 (Bronze game)
USA 96, Serbia 66 (Gold game)



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2012 OLYMPIC BASKETBALL

The 2012 Olympics was July 27 through August 12 in London, England. The USA won the gold medal, Spain won silver, and Russia won bronze, with Argentina finishing 4th. Below are complete 2012 Olympic basketball results, game recaps, final preliminary round standings, and more.

A record 25 current and former NBA players wore medals around their necks when the United States, Spain, and Russia stood on the medal stand at the 2012 Summer Olympics this past Sunday in London. The gold medal game alone featured 20 current and former players.

At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, 24 current and former NBA players were on the medal stand and 16 current and former players won medals at the 2004 Games in Athens.

Twelve NBA teams were represented on the medal stand, with the Western Conference Finals champion Oklahoma City Thunder having the most with four players. Three players from the Minnesota Timberwolves collected medals as did two players each from the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Knicks. Seven NBA teams had one Olympic medalist.

When the tournament tipped off on Sunday, July 29, rosters featured a record 41 current NBA players from 21 different NBA teams. Eleven of the 12 national teams competing featured at least one current NBA player, with France as the international country with the most with six.

Key 2012 Olympic Basketball Links:
• Groups
• Standings
• Game Results/Recaps
• Remaining Game Schedule
• Full-length USA Basketball game recaps


2012 OLYMPIC BASKETBALL GROUPS

Group A
Argentina, France, Lithuania, Nigeria, Tunisia, USA

Group B
Australia, Brazil, China, Great Britain, Russia, Spain



2012 OLYMPIC BASKETBALL TEAM STANDINGS

GROUP A
RK	TEAM	GP	PTS
1	USA	5	10
2	FRA	5	9
3	ARG	5	8
4	LTU	5	7
5	NGR	5	6
6	TUN	5	5

GROUP B
RK	TEAM	GP	PTS
1	RUS	5	9
2	BRA	5	9
3	ESP	5	8
4	AUS	5	8
5	GBR	5	6
6	CHN	5	5

July 29 Olympic Basketball Game Recaps

Nigeria 60, Tunisia 56 - The AP reports: Al-Farouq Aminu had 15 points to help Nigeria hold off a second-half rally by Tunisia in the first game of the men's Olympic basketball tournament Sunday with a 60-56 victory. Nigeria held Tunisia to 15 points in the first half and held a 16-point halftime lead. They led by as many as 19 and seemed in control of the game... Amine Rzig scored 15 of his 18 points in the second-half to lead Tunisia in the Group A game.

Brazil 75, Australia 71 - The AP reports: Leandro Barbosa scored 16 points and Brazil held on to beat Australia 75-71 Sunday in the Olympic men's basketball opener for both teams. Brazil had a one-point lead at halftime, but opened the third quarter with a 10-2 run and extend its lead to 11... Patrick Mills, re-signed by the San Antonio Spurs earlier this month, finished with a game-high 20 points for Australia.

USA 98, France 71 - The AP reports: Kevin Durant scored 22 points, LeBron James added eight assists and the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team opened tournament play with a rough-and-ragged 98-71 win over France on Sunday. Seeking a second straight gold medal to match the one they won in Beijing four years ago, the Americans expected a tough test from a French team featuring San Antonio guard Tony Parker and five other NBA players. The U.S. was never in real trouble, and after overcoming some major foul issues and sloppy play, the superstar-laden squad finally put France away in the second half... With first lady Michelle Obama on hand to cheer on the U.S., Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler added nine rebounds apiece Kevin Love finished with 14 points for the Americans. The U.S. will next play Tuesday against Tunisia, beaten 60-56 by Nigeria in the tournament opener. Full USA recaps are on our USA Basketball page.

Spain 97, China 81 - The AP reports: Pau Gasol had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead Spain to a 97-81 victory over China Sunday in the Olympic men's basketball opener for both teams Sunday... YI Jianlian of the Washington Wizards had a double-double for China, scoring a game-high 30 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. But China had no answer to the depth of Spain, which had four players score in double digits — Juan Carlos Navarro had scored 14 points and Jose Calderon (Toronto Raptors) added 12.

Russia 95, Great Britain 75 - The AP reports: Andrei Kirilenko, heading back to the NBA, scored 35 points (14-of-17) to help Russia spoil Britain's return to Olympic men's basketball with a 95-75 victory Sunday... Alexey Shved, also Minnesota bound, added 16 points and 13 assists for the Russians, who wore down the hosts with their physical defensive pressure. Luol Deng scored 26 for Britain, making its first appearance in the field since hosting the Olympics in 1948.

Argentina 102, Lithuania 79 - The AP reports: Luis Scola scored 32 points, Manu Ginobili flirted with a triple-double to help Argentina get started on its quest for a third straight Olympic men's basketball medal with a 102-79 victory over Lithuania on Sunday night. Carlos Delfino finished with 20 points for the Argentines in a rematch of their 87-75 victory over Lithuania in the bronze-medal game four years ago in Beijing... [Manu Ginobili] had 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists Sunday night.

July 31 Olympic Basketball Game Recaps

Russia 73, China 54 - The AP reports: Andrei Kirilenko scored 16 points and Russia used its size to beat China 73-54 Tuesday in the men's Olympic basketball tournament... Guard Alexey Shved, who is also heading to the Timberwolves, finished with 14 points for Russia and center Sasha Kaun added 13... YI Jianlian, a forward with the Washington Wizards, had 16 points and seven rebounds and was the only China (0-2) player to score in double figures. Russia pounded China on the boards and finished with a 46-29 rebounding advantage. Victor Khryapa had 12 rebounds to go with seven points.

Spain 82, Australia 70 - The AP reports: Pau Gasol scored 20 points to lead Spain to a 82-70 victory over Australia in the men's Olympic basketball tournament on Tuesday. Rudy Fernandez added 17 points for Spain, silver medalists at the Beijing Games after losing in the final to the United States... Joe Ingles and Brad Newley led Australia with 12 points each.

Lithuania 72, Nigeria 53 - The AP reports: Darius Songaila scored 12 points and Linas Kleiza added 11 to help Lithuania beat Nigeria 72-53 Tuesday for its first victory in the men's Olympic tournament. Rimantas Kaukenas finished with 10 points for Lithuania, which bounced back from an opening loss to Argentina. Nigeria fell to 1-1 after opening the tournament with a win over Tunisia... Al-Farouq Aminu of the New Orleans Hornets and Ike Diogu had double-doubles for Nigeria. Aminu had 12 points and 11 rebounds; Diogo finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Brazil 67, Great Britain 62 - The AP reports: Tiago Splitter scored 21 points to help Brazil escape with an unexpectedly close 67-62 win over host Britain in the Olympic men's basketball tournament on Tuesday... Huertas finished with 13 points and eight assists. Deng, who plays with the Chicago Bulls, missed his first six shots and had 12 points on 3 for 13 shooting. Nate Reinking added 13 points for Britain and Pops Mensah-Bonsu finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

France 71, Argentina 64 - The AP reports: Tony Parker scored 17 points and fed a lob pass over San Antonio teammate Manu Ginobili for a key basket down the stretch to help France stun Argentina 71-64 on Tuesday in an Olympic men's game featuring 10 NBA players... Following a miss by Argentina, Parker made two free throws to put the game away for France, blown out by 27 points in its opener against the U.S. Nicolas Batum added 14 points for France (1-1), which came in 0-4 in Olympic competition against Argentina. Ginobili scored 26 — 18 in the second half — and Luis Scola had 16 for Argentina (1-1), which had looked so impressive in a 23-point win over Lithuania in its opener.

USA 110, Tunisia 63 - The AP reports: LeBron James and Kobe Bryant took a seat, then the U.S. Olympic basketball team took control. The Americans got their expected blowout and fans got the show they came to see in the 110-63 win over Tunisia, but only after U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski started his reserves to open the second half after a lackluster first 20 minutes... Carmelo Anthony, Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and Andre Iguodala opened the third quarter with a 21-3 run, turning a surprisingly close 13-point lead into a 67-36 bulge before any of the more celebrated starters finally got to play in the second half. Anthony and Love scored 16 points apiece for the Americans, who gave the fans the dunk show they expected once the game was in hand. Kevin Durant had 13 and rookie Anthony Davis dunked his way to 12... Makram Ben Romdhane scored 22 for Tunisia, the African champion playing in just its second Olympic game. A wire-to-wire loser Sunday against Nigeria, they'll be able to tell their kids their first Olympic lead came against the powerful Americans... The Americans were 17 of 22 (77 percent) on 2-pointers in the first half, but missed 10 of their 12 3-point shots. They didn't need to worry about 3s much in the second half — though those could become a problem against better competition — because they got dunks whenever they wanted. Full USA recaps are on our USA Basketball page.


August 2 Olympic Basketball Game Recaps

France 82, Lithuania 74 - The AP reports: Tony Parker, wearing goggles to protect an eye injured in a nightclub brawl, scored 27 points and Nicolas Batum added 21 Thursday to lead France to an 82-74 victory over Lithuania in Olympic basketball. Ronny Turiaf of the Los Angeles Clippers pulled down 10 rebounds for France (2-1), which was led by the NBA players on its roster. Batum plays with the Portland Trail Blazers. Parker sank a 3-pointer to finish a 10-2 run that gave France a 59-52 lead at the end of third quarter and Lithuania never got closer than six after that... Reserve Martynas Pocius led Lithuania with 18 points. Linas Kleiza, who plays for the Toronto Raptors, added 17.... Euroleague.net reports: The game turned into a physical battle in the second half and France made the most out of it, limited Lithuania to just 6 points in 9 minutes. Meanwhile, Mickeal Gelabale of BC Khimki and Diaw fueled a 7-0 run that allowed France to get a 59-52 margin after 30 minutes. Batum and Diaw stayed on fire early in the fourth quarter to make it a double-digit game, 65-54. France boosted its margin to 70-54 behind an outstanding Nando De Colo and kept full control of the game from that moment until the final buzzer.

Australia 81, China 61 - The AP reports: Chinese hopes of reaching the Olympic men's basketball medal playoffs took a double blow on Thursday with NBA [player] Yi Jianlian suffering a knee injury in winless China's 81-61 loss to Australia. Yi was helped off the court by teammates after the defeat, which could put China (0-3) in position to miss the quarter-finals if the Aussies (1-2) defeat Britain on Saturday to clinch a berth in the medal playoffs... NBA guard Patrick Mills scored 20 points for Australia while David Andersen added 17 points and seven rebounds and Joe Ingles had 13 points and seven rebounds as the Boomers put themselves on the verge of the knockout stage... Wang Shipeng led China with 21 points and Yi added 13 in a losing cause... Euroleague.net reports: Three-time Euroleague champion David Andersen added 17 while Joe Ingles of FC Barcelona Regal had 13 for Australia. Shipeng Wang led China with 21 points. He struck three times from downtown to force Australia to call an early timeout at 8-15. Mills stepped up for Australia with 9 quick points and a three-pointer by Brad Newley gave the Boomers a 21-20 edge.

Argentina 92, Tunisia 69 - The AP reports: Manu Ginobili scored 24 points and keyed a second-quarter run to help Argentina beat Tunisia 92-69 on Thursday in the Olympic men's basketball tournament. Carlos Delfino added 21 points and Luis Scola had 20 as Argentina's NBA stars pounded winless Tunisia. Scola plays for the Phoenix Suns and Delfino is with the Milwaukee Bucks... Argentina (2-1) played without New York Knicks-bound forward Pablo Prigioni, who is suffering from kidney stones. Salah Mejri finished with 19 points for Tunisia and Mourad El Mabrouk had 16.

Russia 75, Brazil 74 - The AP reports: Vitaliy Fridzon's 3-pointer with four seconds left gave Russia a 75-74 victory over Brazil, keeping the Russians unbeaten in the Olympic men's basketball tournament. In the best game of the tournament thus far, the Russians blew an 11-point lead, falling behind 74-72 on Marcelo Huertas' layup with 6.1 seconds left. Russia called timeout and threw the ball into Fridzon along the left corner, who knocked down the jumper while appearing to have his leg hit as he was shooting. Andrei Kirilenko scored 19 points and Timofey Mozgov had 18 for Russia (3-0), but it was Alexei Shved who led the Russians' late rally after they fell behind by five with under two minutes left. Shved, headed to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with Kirilenko, finished with 17 points. Leandro Barbosa scored 16 points and American-born Larry Taylor had 12 for Brazil (2-1). Nene finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.

Spain 79, Great Britain 78 - The AP reports: Jose Calderon scored eight of his 19 points in the final 44 seconds, then eluded defenders frantically trying to foul him to run out the clock as Spain held on to beat winless Britain 79-78 in Olympic men's basketball Thursday... Pau Gasol scored 17 and Marc Gasol had 12 for Spain (3-0). Deng finished with 26 points and Joel Freeland added 25 for Britain.

USA 156, Nigeria 73 - The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony scored 37 points, making 10 of 12 3-pointers, and the Americans rewrote the Olympic record book with a scintillating shooting performance and 156-73 win Thursday night, an epic blowout that seemed to send a message to the rest of the men's tournament field. Anthony set the U.S. Olympic mark for points in a game — in less than three quarters. The U.S. also set the Olympic record for points in a game and points in a half (78). The Americans bettered the U.S. records as well for 3-pointers (26), field goals (59) and field-goal percentage (71)... And when Andre Iguodala hit a 3-pointer with 4:37 left, the Americans had surpassed the previous Olympic record of 138 points set by Brazil against Egypt in 1988. When the record was announced to the mesmerized crowd, all the players seated on the U.S. bench got up and slapped hands with coach Mike Krzyzewski and his coaching staff... Bryant scored 16 points — 14 in the first quarter — for the Americans, who scored 49 points in the first and didn't let up after scoring 78 in the first 20 minutes. Russell Westbrook finished with 21 points and Kevin Durant had 14 for the U.S., which will play Lithuania on Saturday. Ike Diogu scored 27 to lead Nigeria (1-2). Full USA recaps are on our USA Basketball page.

August 4

France 73, Tunisia 69 - The AP reports: Tony Parker scored 22 points and Nicolas Batum added 19, leading France past Tunisia 73-69 on Saturday for its third straight victory in Olympic basketball... Mohamed Hadidane scored 20 points and Makram Ben Romdhane had 17 for winless Tunisia, which seemed beaten in the third quarter but chipped away and was single digits for much of the fourth quarter.

Russia 77, Spain 74 - The AP reports: Timofey Mozgov made the tiebreaking dunk with 18 seconds left, Vitaliy Fridzon scored 24 points and unbeaten Russia erased an 18-point deficit to pull out a 77-74 victory on Saturday... Fridzon, the hero of Russia's victory over Brazil on Thursday, made the clinching free throws with 4.8 seconds left. Anton Ponkrashov scored 14 points and Mozgov had 12 for the Russians, down 20-2 in the first quarter and still trailing by nine with under 4½ minutes left... Pau Gasol scored 20 points for Spain (3-1), but missed the first of two free throws with 5.2 seconds left and the Spaniards trailing by two... Marc Gasol and Rudy Fernandez each had 10 for the Spaniards in the first meeting since Russia stunned Spain, then the reigning world champions, 60-59 in the 2007 European championship game.

USA 99, Lithuania 94 - The AP reports: Two days after running and gunning to a record-shattering 83-point win, the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team had to come back in the fourth quarter for a 99-94 win over a fearless Lithuania team that had the Americans in serious trouble until the closing minutes. LeBron James scored 9 of his 20 points in the final four minutes for the U.S. (4-0), which had looked nearly invincible in thrashing Nigeria 156-73 on Thursday night and breaking several records. But the Americans were reminded that the path to the gold medal is loaded with traps and Lithuania nearly sprang one. Carmelo Anthony added 20 points, Kevin Durant 16 and Chris Paul added seven rebounds, six assists and four of the U.S. team's 17 steals. Linas Kleiza scored 25 to lead Lithuania, which led by 84-82 with 5:50 to play. After the U.S. took a three-point lead, Lithuania would not go away and pulled within 87-86 on Darius Songaila's bucket with 4:12 left. That's when James, who has already won an MVP trophy and NBA title this year, took control. Full USA recaps are on our USA Basketball page.

Brazil 98, China 59 - The AP reports: Marquinhos Vieira scored 14 points and Leandro Barbosa added 13 as Brazil blew out China 98-59 Saturday to reach the quarterfinals of the men's Olympic basketball tournament... Guilherme Giovannoni added 13 points and Anderson Varejao, who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, had 13 rebounds for Brazil, which led by as many as 42 points. Zhu Fangyu led China with 13.

Australia 106, Great Britain 75 - The AP reports: Patrick Mills scored a tournament-high 39 points and Australia beat Britain 106-75 on Saturday to earn a spot in the quarterfinals of the men's Olympic basketball competition. The San Antonio Spurs guard had 15 points in the third quarter to spark Australia's comeback. Matt Dellavedova made all three of his 3-point attempts in the period as Australia rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit... Joel Freeland had 16 points for Britain, now 0-4 in its Olympic debut.

Argentina 93, Nigeria 79 - The AP reports: Luis Scola scored 22 points to help Argentina beat winless Nigeria 93-79 in the men's Olympic basketball tournament on Saturday. Carlos Delfino finished with 18 points and Andres Nocioni added 17 for Argentina, which quickly took control of the game and raced to a 37-19 lead at the end of the first quarter... Ike Diougu led Nigeria with 16 points and Derrick Obasohan had 15. Nigeria was coming off an 83-point loss to the U.S.

Monday, August 6

Australia 82, Russia 80 - The AP reports: Patrick Mills' 3-pointer with time expiring gave Australia an 82-80 win over Russia in the men's Olympic basketball tournament on Monday. Australia (3-2) clinched fourth in its group and could face the U.S. team in the quarterfinals Wednesday if the Americans beat Argentina in their game Monday night... Sasha Kaun led Russia with 18 points, and Alexey Shved and Andrei Kirilenko each had 13. Kirilenko sat out the final minute with a cut above the left eye. Joe Ingles had 20 points to lead Australia with 20 and Mills added 13.

Lithuania 76, Tunisia 63 - The AP reports: Renaldas Seibutis led a fourth-quarter comeback by Lithuania, which rallied to beat Tunisia 76-63 on Monday to clinch the last quarterfinal spot in the men's basketball tournament. Seibutis hit two consecutive 3-pointers to open a 63-56 lead with 4:45 remaining in the game and Lithuania, a three-time Olympic bronze medalist, never trailed again. Big plays by captain Amine Rzig, who hit all three of his 3-point shots and finished with 17 points, helped Tunisia take a 54-50 lead after three quarters... Songaila, who made the last two free throws of the game for the final score, finished with 13 points, and so did Sarunas Jasikevicius. Rzig led Tunisia (0-5) with 17 points.

France 79, Nigeria 73 - The AP reports: Nicolas Batum scored 23 points to lead France to a 79-73 victory over Nigeria in the men's Olympic basketball tournament on Monday... Boris Diaw, who plays for the San Antonio Spurs, scored 10 points for France. Spurs guard Tony Parker had seven assists in 21 minutes for France. Chamberlain Oguchi went 8 for 14 from 3-point range to finish with 35 points for Nigeria.

Great Britain 90, China 58 -

Brazil 88, Spain 82 - The AP reports: Leandro Barbosa scored 10 of his 23 points in the final six minutes, rallying Brazil to an 88-82 win over Spain in the preliminary round finale in the men's Olympic basketball tournament for two medal contenders who could eventually challenge the Americans for gold. Barbosa scored 20 points in the second half for Brazil (4-1), which trailed by 10 early in the fourth quarter. But the super-speedy Barbosa, who now plays for the Toronto Raptors, made a pair of 3-pointers and four free throws in a 12-2 run. Pau Gasol scored 25 points and his brother, Marc Gasol, added 20 for Spain (3-2), which may have actually gained something by losing. The Spaniards are assured of not playing the U.S. (4-0) until the gold-medal game — if they and the Americans continue to advance and both get back to the Olympic final again. The U.S. beat Spain for gold at the 2008 Beijing Games.

USA 126, Argentina 97 - The AP reports: Kevin Durant shot the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team out of trouble, and right into the top seed in their group. Durant scored 17 of his 28 points during the Americans' explosive 42-point third quarter, turning a one-point game into a blowout that sent the U.S. soaring into the quarterfinals with a 126-97 victory over Argentina on Monday night. The NBA scoring champion matched the Argentines' point total in the period, going 5-of-6 from 3-point range, the last one from well beyond 25 feet. The Americans didn't stop shooting and scoring until Carmelo Anthony made a 3-pointer in the final second of the quarter while taking what he and the U.S. bench right behind him felt was a cheap shot from Argentina's Facundo Campazzo, setting off an exchange of words and technical fouls... LeBron James added 18 points, getting the Americans' first seven of the third quarter before Durant took over. Chris Paul finished with 17. Full USA recaps are on our USA Basketball page.

Wednesday, August 8

Men's Quarterfinal games:

Russia 83, Lithuania 74 - The AP reports: Andrei Kirilenko scored 19 points, Timofey Mozgov added 17 and Russia, dismissed as a medal contender coming into the Olympics, moved into the semifinals of the men's basketball tournament with an 83-74 win over Lithuania on Wednesday... After trailing by 14, Lithuania was within six in the fourth when Sergei Monya hit a 3-pointer for Russia, and Kirilenko, who signed a two-year contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves this summer, converted a three-point play with 1:42 remaining... Rimantas Kaukenas scored 19 and Darius Songaila 15 for Lithuania, which has not won a medal since getting bronze in 2000... InsideHoops.com note: Kirilenko had 19 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks.

Spain 66, France 59 - The AP reports: About to be eliminated by Spain, France's Nicolas Batum wound up and slammed his arm into Juan Carlos Navarro, hitting him in the groin. France's Ronny Turiaf had just sent a flailing Rudy Fernandez to the sideline with a hard foul. "I wanted to give them a good reason to flop," Batum said. The French went down swinging, not scoring. Spain players were about the only thing the French could hit in the final minutes, the Spanish holding them to one meaningless basket in the final 6:50 of a 66-59 victory Wednesday that sent the 2008 silver medalists to the semifinals of the Olympic men's basketball tournament. Marc Gasol scored 14 points, but it was the defense that won this game for the usually high-scoring Spanish... Juan Carlos Navarro added 12 points and Pau Gasol 10 for the Spanish, who advance to play Russia on Friday. Tony Parker and Boris Diaw each scored 15 points for France, which grew frustrated at the finish and committed the two unsportsmanlike fouls in the final half-minute.

Argentina 82, Brazil 77 - The AP reports: Luis Scola scored 17 points, Manu Ginobili and Carlos Delfino added 16 apiece and Argentina held on down the stretch for an 82-77 quarterfinal win over Brazil in the Olympic men's basketball tournament on Wednesday, setting up a rematch with the U.S. in the semifinals. Argentina lost to the Americans by 29 in the preliminary round finale... Marcelinho Huertas and Leandro Barbosa had 22 points each for Brazil, which cut an 11-point deficit to three in the final two minutes but couldn't catch Argentina... Argentina used a 14-3 spurt in the third, a run highlighted by a 3-pointer from Nocioni, to open a 61-46 advantage.

USA 119, Australia 86 - The AP reports: All's fine with Kobe Bryant, and the gold medal hopes of the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team, too. Bryant silenced his critics and broke open a tight game with six 3-pointers in the second half Wednesday night as the Americans advanced to the semifinals of the London Games with a 119-86 victory over Australia. On a night when LeBron James had a triple-double, the story was Bryant's awakening from his Olympic slumber. The five-time NBA champion scored 20 points, flashing three fingers in the air after his third consecutive 3-pointer in the fourth quarter had pushed the game well out of reach and proved that, yes, he would deliver the kind of game that's expected of him in London... James finished with 11 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists for the Americans, who advanced to their third straight Olympic semifinal meeting with Argentina, which beat Brazil earlier Wednesday. Deron Williams added 18 points, Anthony had 17 and Kevin Durant 14... Patty Mills scored 26 points and Ingles had 19 for Australia, which had the misfortune of running into the U.S. in the quarterfinals for the second straight Olympics. Full USA recaps are on our USA Basketball page.

Friday, August 10

Men's Semifinals:

Spain 67, Russia 59 - The AP reports: Spain will play for basketball gold. Jose Calderon scored 14 points — 12 in the second half — and Pau Gasol added 16 as Spain rallied after trailing at halftime for a 67-59 win in the men's Olympic basketball tournament over Russia on Friday, setting up a potential second straight final against the U.S. The Spaniards hopes for gold nearly dried up. They trailed by 13 in the first quarter and 11 at the half before the defending silver medalists dug down and showed why they're the world's No. 2-ranked team. Spain shot just 21 percent in the opening half, but recovered to keep alive hopes of winning a first Olympic gold medal. Sasha Kaun scored 14 points and Andrei Kirilenko, playing with a leg injury, added 10 for Russia... The Spaniards couldn't throw the ball into the Mediterranean in the first quarter, going 3 of 15 from the floor and scoring just nine points. The period ended with Pau Gasol missing an easy one underneath, and when his shot rolled off the rim, Spanish coach Sergio Scariolo shook his head in disbelief.

USA 109, Argentina 83 - The AP reports: Kevin Durant scored 19 points, James and Anthony added 18 apiece, and the U.S. turned on its slamming-and-shooting spectacle in the second half to overwhelm Argentina for the second time in three games, 109-83, in the semifinals Friday night. The U.S. will play Spain on Sunday, a rematch of the Americans' victory four years ago for the gold medal in Beijing... Manu Ginobili scored 18 points for Argentina, which plays Russia for the bronze medal on Sunday... Scola and Carlos Delfino added 15 points apiece for Argentina, trying to go out with a third straight Olympic medal for its "Golden Generation," the group of veterans who helped the Argentines replace the Americans atop the basketball world for a time. Full USA recaps are on our USA Basketball page.

REMAINING BASKETBALL OLYMPICS SCHEDULE

Sunday, August 12

Men's Bronze Medal game: Russia 81, Argentina 77 - The AP reports: Alexei Shved scored 25 points — 13 in the fourth quarter — and Russia won its first medal in Olympic men's basketball with an 81-77 win on Sunday over Argentina, whose players angrily confronted the referees after the final horn following a wild scramble in the closing seconds. Andrei Kirilenko added 20 points and Vitaliy Fridzon 19 for Russia, which finished ninth at the Beijing Games four years ago. Manu Ginobili scored 21 and Andres Nocioni 16 for Argentina, which was looking to add another bronze to its Olympic collection after winning one in China and gold eight years ago in Athens. Fridzon's layup with 5.2 seconds left sealed it for Russia, which came away with the ball after it changed hands several times near midcourt. When the game ended, several Argentine players surrounded referees Bill Kennedy, Jose Carrion and Juan Arteaga in protest and guard Pablo Prigioni kicked an electronic clock off the scorer's table.

Men's Gold Medal game: USA 107, Spain 100 - The AP reports: Great for most of the Olympics, just good enough for gold. The U.S. men's basketball team defended its title by fighting off another huge challenge from Spain, pulling away in the final minutes for a 107-100 victory on Sunday and its second straight Olympic championship. And just like 2008, the star-studded Americans had to work for this one. LeBron James capped one of basketball's most brilliant individual years with a monster dunk and a huge 3-pointer in the final 2:50 that finally wrapped up a close, back-and-forth game that few would have seen coming after the Americans had been so dominant for so long in London... Kevin Durantscored 30 points and James had 19 on a day he joined Michael Jordan as the only players to win the NBA title, regular-season MVP, NBA Finals MVP and Olympic gold in the same year... For Kobe Bryant, it was his last Olympic moment... Pau Gasol scored 24 points and Juan Carlos Navarro had 21 for Spain, which was again just a few minutes from its first basketball gold but couldn't finish the job against the Americans.


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2008 OLYMPIC BASKETBALL INFO

The 2008 Olympic basketball competition runs August 10-24 (that's Beijing time -- in the USA the first games technically start the night of August 9), with the main round of action August 10-18, the quarterfinals on August 20, semifinals on August 22, and finals on August 24. InsideHoops.com in a few days (Around July 25) will begin our complete coverage of the 2008 Olympics basketball tournament, with key info on each team, a list of the favorites, discussion on Team USA and more. Basically, everything you could possibly want. And we'll link to anything worth reading elsewhere. So, consider this your homepage for 2008 Olympics hoops.

LINKS: Overview | Teams/Groups | Schedule | USA Starters | USA Bench | USA Strengths | USA Weaknesses | Our Prediction | Full USA Roster | USA Select Team Roster

OLYMPIC BASKETBALL STANDINGS
FINAL OVERALL OLYMPICS STANDINGS

Gold: USA
Silver: Spain
Bronze: Argentina
4) Lithuania
5) Greece (3-3)
6) Croatia (3-3)
7) Australia (3-3)
8) China (2-4)
9) Russia (1-4)
10) Germany (1-4)
11) Iran (0-5)
12) Angola (0-5)

FINAL PRELIMINARY ROUND STATS

GROUP A 1) Lithuania (4-1) 2) Argentina (4-1) 3) Croatia (3-2) 4) Australia (3-2) 5) Russia (1-4) 6) Iran (0-5)

GROUP B 1) USA (5-0) 2) Spain (4-1) 3) Greece (3-2) 4) China (2-3) 5) Germany (1-4) 6) Angola (0-5)

2008 OLYMPIC BASKETBALL GAMES SCHEDULE
All times Eastern (ET)

Note: InsideHoops.com translated all times into ET. So for example, under August 9, the first game of the evening is at 9pm ET August 9, but those night games are technically August 10. So, the first Team USA game, USA vs China, is actually at 10:15am ET the morning of August 10.

Box scores open in a new window. Though, everything worth knowing from each box score is already in each InsideHoops.com mini-summary.

AUGUST 9/10 GAMES

Russia 71, Iran 49: In a total no-contest, Russia dominated. In the win, JR Holden (on 19 shots) had 19 points and 5 steals, Andrei Kirilenko (5-of-7) had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks, and Aleksey Savrasenko had 11 points and 4 assists. In the loss, Mohammadsamad Nikkhah had 16 points. Russia shot 50% from the field, Iran just 38%. [Box score]

Germany 95, Angola 66: In a blowout win, Germany had no problem smoking Angola. In the victory, Chris Kaman (10-of-12) had 24 points and 2 rebounds, Dirk Nowitzki (7-of-9) had 23 points and 6 rebounds, Steffen Hamann scored 13, and Jan-Hendrik Jagla had 10 with 11 rebounds. In the loss for Angola, Carlos Morais (5-of-13) had 14 points, Milton Barros had 10 with 4 rebounds, and Joaquim Gomes (just 1-of-7) had 8 rebounds. Germany shot 59%, Angola just 33%. Germany nailed an excellent 11-of-20 three-pointers, Angola just 9-of-29. Germany also dominated the glass. [Box score]

Spain 81, Greece 66: After a fairly close first half Spain outscored Greece by 10 in the third quarter to hold on for a solid victory. In the win, Rudy Fernandez (5-of-9) had 16 points, Jose Calderon (5-of-8) had 13 points, 4 rebounds but more turnovers than assists, Pau Gasol (4-of-8) had a quiet 11 points with 7 rebounds, and Ricky Rubio, Juan Carlos Navarro and Marc Gasol each scored 7. In the loss for Greece, Vasileios Spanoulis had 15, Dimitrios Diamantdis had 14, and Nikolaos Zsis had 10. Free throws won it for Spain, as they hit 22-of-25, while Greece only made 11 of their 24 FT attempts. [Box score]

Lithuania 79, Argentina 75: A very low-scoring start for both teams finished with a wild 4th quarter where the two teams combined for 58 points, and a narrow victory for Lithuania. In the win, Linas Kleiza (3-of-4, 3-of-3 three-pointers) had 13, Robertas Javtokas had 12 with 5 rebounds, Sarunas Jasikevicius (just 2-of-10, 0-of-4 threes) had 10 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists (5 turnovers). Several other players scored 10. In the loss, Manu Ginobili (just 6-of-15, 1-of-7 threes) had 19 points, Andres Nocioni (lousy 5-of-14) had 15 points, 9 rebounds but 5 turnovers and no assists, Carlos Delfino (4-of-9) had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals, and Luis Scola (just 4-of-11) had 10 points and 6 rebounds. [Box score]

Croatia 97, Australia 82: A very balanced scoring effort and simply amazing shooting all around carried Croatia to a sound victory over Australia, who had just three players score double-digits. Croatia outscored Australia 21-14 in the first quarter, and 26-17 in the second. In the win, Nikola Prkacin (5-of-5) had 16 points. Marko Banic (7-of-8) had 16 as well. Zoran Planinic (5-of-6) had 12. Marko Tomas (4-of-6, 4-of-4 three-pointers) had 12 with 4 rebounds. Kresimir Loncar on 9 shots had 10 points and 10 rebounds. And Roko Ukic on 10 shots scored 9. In the loss for Australia, Matt Nelson (5-of-10) had 13 points and 5 rebounds. David Barlow (just 5-of-12) had 12 points. Andrew Bogut, who the team needs to play like a star, shot 3-of-3 but had just 10 points, 1 rebound, and lots of fouls and turnovers. Croatia shot an amazing 67%, including a ridiculous 12-of-16 three-pointers. [Box score]

USA 101, China 70: The USA got off to a slow and ugly start, but still outscored China in all four quarters, steadily pulling away with each tick of the clock. InsideHoops.com is sad to report that Team USA's halfcourt game was still as ugly as it was in years past, with unintelligent play, a lack of pick-and-rolls or give-and-go's, one player moving with the ball while others stand still as if frozen to their spot, etc. But Team USA's superior athletic ability enabled them to get out on tons of fast breaks and that made the big difference. In the win, Dwyane Wade (7-of-7) had 19 points. LeBron James (8-of-12) had 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Kobe Bryant (6-of-14, 1-of-7 threes) was off with 13 points and 2 steals. Dwight Howard (5-of-10) was low in the stats department but did well in containing Yao Ming and had 13, but little else. Deron Williams, Michael Redd (just 3-of-9) and Chris Bosh each scored 9. Bosh had 8 boards. Paul had 6 assists. In the loss for China, Yao Ming (just 3-of-10) had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. Fangyu Zhu (4-of-6) had 11 with 8 rebounds. Yi Jianlian, traded this off-season to the Nets, shot just 4-of-13 for 9 points, 3 rebounds and more turnovers than assists. China began the game on fire from three-point range but cooled off, finishing 10-of-27 from outside the arc. For the game, the USA shot 54%, China 34%. USA had 18-of-25 free throws, China 14-of-15. Rebounds were pretty close, and the USA had a bit of an edge in assists. The USA had 14 steals, China just 2. [Full Recap | Box score]

AUGUST 11/12 GAMES

Lithuania 99, Iran 67: This was a no-contest, as Lithuania won easily. In the win, Linas Kleiza (8-of-11) had 22 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. Sarunas Jasikevicius (8-of-9) had 20 points, 3 assists and 3 steals. Rimantas Kaukenas (6-of-9) had 14, but 5 turnovers. In the loss, Hamed Ehadadi had 21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 4 blocks but 8 turnovers. No other Iran players scored more than 9 points. Oshin Sahakian had 12 rebounds. [Box Score]

Croatia 85, Russia 78: Great three-point shooting and success at the free throw line helped Croatia beat Russia. In the win, Marko Popovic had 22 points. Zoran Planinic (7-of-9) scored 20. Stanko Barac (6-of-9) had 12 with a team-high 7 rebounds. In the loss for Russia, Andrei Kirilenko (5-of-11) had 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists (5 turnovers) and 3 blocks. Sergey Bykov (5-of-6) had 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Viktor Khryapa (just 5-of-13) had 14 points. Aleksey Savrasenko scored 10. [Box Score]

Greece 87, Germany 64: Greece made a loud statement here that they are to be taken seriously, shutting down Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Kaman and Team Germany. In the win, Vasileios Spanoulis (9-of-13) had 23 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists. Theodoros Papaloukas (4-of-8) had 15 points and 5 rebounds. Dimitrios Diamantidis scored 12. In the loss for Germany, Nowitzki (just 3-of-8) had 13 points and 6 rebounds. Kaman (just 1-of-3) had 4 points, 2 rebounds and lots of turnovers. Greece shot 57%, Germany just 36%. Greece got more rebounds, and won the assists category 15-7. Greece also had more steals. Blocks were even. [Box Score]

Spain 85, China 75 OT: Euroleague.net reports: World champion Spain remained unbeaten in Group B by rallying from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to edge China 75-85 in overtime in a fully-packed Wukesong Arena. Spain overcame a strong basketball atmosphere to beat China for the eighth time in nine official games and is set to face the United States in a highly anticipated game on Thursday. Meanwhile, China dropped to 0-2 and needs to start winning right away to reach the quarterfinals. Former all-Euroleague second team selection Pau Gasol paced the winners with 29 points on 13-for-16 two-pointers. ULEB Cup Final Eight MVP Rudy Fernandez added 21 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, while Felipe Reyes of Real Madrid scored 10 points for Spain, but it was Ricky Rubio of DKV Joventut that his team's comeback with outstanding defense in the fourth period. Liu Wei had 19 points for China while Wang Zhizhi and Fangyu Zhu each added 15 for the hosts. [Box Score]

USA 97, Angola 76: A full recap of this game is on our USA basketball page. [Box Score]

Argentina 85, Australia 68: Euroleague.net reports: Argentina registered its first win in Group A by downing Australia 85-68 in the final game of the day at Wukesong Arena. Argentina is now tied with Russia for third place in Group A, each with a 1-1 record. Meanwhile, Australia dropped to 0-2. Former Euroleague Final Four MVP Manu Ginobili led the winners with 21 points. Former All-Euroleague forward Luis Scola added 17, Carlos Delfino of Khimki had 14 and Fabricio Oberto netted 12 for Argentina. Patrick Mills had 22 points for Australia, Brad Newley of Panellinios added 11 and David Andersen of FC Barcelona had 10 for the Boomers. [Box Score]

AUGUST 13/14 GAMES

Spain 72, Germany 59: Euroleague.net reports: Spain stayed undefeated and kept its eye on first place in Group A by outlasting Germany 59-72 in Thursday's first game of Day 3 at the Olympic men's basketball tournament in Beijing. Spain is now 3-0 in group play, while Germany dropped to 1-2. Spain used a 3-22 run on either side of halftime to take over a game that Germany had controlled early. Alex Mumbru of Real Madrid came off the bench for 14 points, including 3-for-3 shooting from three-point range, to lift Spain to victory. Jose Manuel Calderon added 15 points and Pau Gasol 13 for the winners, who got solid supporting performances from Ricky Rubio, Marc Gasol and Jorge Garbajosa. Spain also pulled 14 offensive rebounds. Steffen Hamann of Alba Berlin led Germany with 15 pionts, while Dirk Nowitzki had 11.

Australia 106, Iran 68: Euroleague.net reports: Australia routed Iran 106-68 in Thursday's second game to climb back into the fight for a spot in the quarterfinals. Panellinios swingman Brad Newley led the Boomers with 24 points as Australia recorded the highest tally of the games so far. Australia dominated the glass, outrebounding Iran 39-25, and forced 28 turnovers to secure the win with ease... Mills finished with 15 points and 5 assists for Australia, Anstey added 13, Andrew Bogut recorded 10 points and 7 rebounds in 17 minutes and FC Barcelona's David Andersen contributed 10 points and 5 boards in 16 minutes. Nikkhah paced Iran with 23 points, Ehadadi added 15 points and 8 rebounds, Afagh Eslamieh also scored 15 and Hamed Sohrabnejad had 10.

China 85, Angola 68: Euroleague.net reports: China made the home crowd in Beijing happy by grabbing its first victory in Group B with relative ease on Thursday, 68-85 over winless Angola. China used the size advantage of star Yao Ming to make most of the difference. Yao finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds and scored 10 points in a row to put the game away in the final quarter. He was joined by four teammates scoring in double figures: Yue Sun had 11 points, while Wang Liu, Fangyu Zhu and Yi Jianlian had 10 each. Yi's 11 rebounds paced China's 19-37 advantage on the boards.

Lithuania 86, Russia 79: Euroleague.net reports: Lithuania stayed unbeaten in Group A by edging Russia 86-79 in a pivotal game at Wukesong Arena. Lithuania is all but mathematically into the quarterfinals at 3-0 while Russia went down to 1-2 and needs to be beat Australia on Saturday. Rimantas Kaukenas of Montepaschi Siena led the winners with 20 points. Euroleague MVP Ramunas Siskauskas of CSKA Moscow added 16, former Final Four MVP and three-time Euroleague winner Sarunas Jasikevicius had 12 while all-Euroleague second team selection Ksistof Lavrinovic of Montepaschi got 11 for Lithuania. Reigning Euroleague champion J.R. Holden of CSKA Moscow had 25 points for Russia, Andrei Kirilenko added 17, Viktor Khryapa of CSKA had 11 and Aleksey Savrasenko 10.

USA 92, Greece 69: Euroleague.net reports: The United States of America left no doubt about their power and showed it is arguably the team to beat in Beijing 2008 by thrashing Greece 92-69 at Wukesong Arena. The U.S. tie with Spain atop the Group B standings, each with a 3-0 record. Both teams face each other in a direct fight for first place on Saturday at 16.15 CET, a must-watch showdown for all basketball fans around the world. Meanwhile, Greece dropped to 1-2 and must beat Angola and China to finish third in this group. Kobe Bryant and Chris Bosh paced the winners with 18 points apiece. Dwayne Wade added 17 while Lebron James had 13 for the United States. Former Euroleague MVP Theo Papaloukas of Olympiacos led Greece with 15 points while former All-Euroleague second team selection Vassilis Spanoulis of Panathinaikos added 14.

Argentina 77, Croatia 53 -- Euroleague.net reports: Argentina sent a message that echoed all around Beijing 2008 by simply overwhelming previously undefeated Croatia 77-53 in the final game of the day in Group A. Both teams tie for second place in Group A at 2-1 right behind the undefeated leader Lithuania, first at 3-0. Croatia faces Lithuania in a decisive game for the final outcome in Group A. Former All-Euroleague second team selection Andres Nocioni paced the winners with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Carlos Delfino of BC Khimki added 15 points, former Euroleague champion and Final Four MVP Manu Ginobili had 14 and 8 assists while Luis Scola, two-time All-Euroleague first team selection and still the second top scorer in the competition, got 12 points for Argentina. Marko Banic of Bilbao Basket and Marko Tomas of Real Madrid each had 9 points for Croatia.

August 15/16

Greece 102, Angola 61: Euroleague.net reports: Greece registered its second win in Group B and set a big showdown against Greece in the finl day of this stage by simply overwhelming Angola 102-61 at Wukesong Arena. Greece improved to 2-2 and is all but mathematically qualified to the quarterfinals due to its 23-point win against Germany. Meanwhile, Angola dropped to 0-4 and will finish sixth in Group B. Ioannis Bouroussis paced the winners with 22 points on 9-for-9 two-pointers in just 13 minutes. His Olympiacos teammates Giorgios Printezis and Panos Vasilopoulos added 13 and 10 points, respectively, while Andreas Gliniakadis had 11 for Greece. Eduardo Mingas had 23 points for Angola while Luis Costa had 16 for the African champs. [Box Score]

Australia 95, Russia 80: Euroleague.net reports: Australia landed in the Olympic men's basketball quarterfinals and eliminated European champion Russia with a clear 80-95 victory in their do-or-die Group A showdown at Wukesong Arena in Beijing on Saturday. Andrew Bogut and C.J. Bruton led the winners with 22 points apiece. Matt Nielsen of Lietuvos Rytas and former All-Euroleague center David Andersen of FC Barcelona each had 11 for the Boomers. Current Euroleague champion J.R. Holden of CSKA Moscow led Russia with 20 points. His CSKA teammates Viktor Khryapa and Aleksey Savrasenko added 19 and 16 points, respectively. Khryapap nailed 6 of 6 three-pointers and grabbed 9 rebounds. [Box Score]

Lithuania 86, Croatia 73: Euroleague.net reports: Lithuania became the Group A champion by downing Croatia 73-86 at Wukesong Arena in Saturday's third game. Both teams have mathematically advanced to the quarterfinals, which take place on Wednesday. Lithuania clinched first place already despite having a game to play against Australia. Meanwhile, Croatia will finish third in this group if it downs Iran on Monday. Mindaugas Lukauskis of Lietuvos Rytas paced the winners with 20 points off the Lithuanian bench. Linas Kleiza sank 4 triples in the fourth quarter on his way to 18 points while Simas Jasaitis of DKV Joventut had 12 for Lithuania. Roko Ukic had 13 points for Croatia, Zoran Planinic of Tau Ceramica added 11 while Marko Banic of iurbentia Bilbao Basket got 10. [Box Score]

Argentina 97, Iran 82: Euroleague.net reports: Defending gold medalists Argentina secured second place in Group A by putting away Iran 82-97 at the Olympic men's basketball tournament on Saturday in Beijing. Argentina raised its record to 3-1 and will finish second regardless of whether it wins or loses the last group-stage game against already-eliminated Russia on Monday. With the loss, Iran fell to 0-4 and elimination in its first Olympics appearance. The Iranians stayed fairly close to Argentina until the middle of the third quarter, when Manu Ginobili's 3 three-pointers in less than a minute-and-a-half turned the tide for good. Ginobili finished with 32 points, the highest total so far in the tournament by any player, in 27 minutes. Luis Scola follwed with 20 points, while Pablo Prigioni of Tau Ceramica had 11 to go with 6 assists. Iran big man Hamed Ehadadi posted a double-double of 21 points, 16 rebounds. [Box Score]

China 59, Germany 55: Euroleague.net reports: China made its untold millions of fans jump for joy on Saturday by advancing to the quarterfinals at the Olympic men's basketball tournament with a do-or-die 59-55 victory over Germany in Beijing. China made another country's fans happy, too, as the victory meant qualification for Greece, also. Those two teams will play each other on Monday to decide third and fourth place in Group B. Germany was eliminated with Saturday's loss. Great defense in long stretches fueled victory for China, which lost all of an early double-digit lead but reasserted itself after halftime. Yao Ming led the victors with 25 points and 11 rebounds as the only double-digit scorer for China. Yi Jianlin added 9 points and 11 rebounds. Germany got double-doubles from Dirk Nowitzki, who had 24 points and 17 rebounds, and from Chris Kaman, with 10 and 12, respectively. Pascal Roller added 13 points but the rest of the team scored only 8 points. [Box Score]

USA 119, Spain 82: Euroleague.net reports: Team USA wrapped up first place in Group B and proved its status as gold-medal favorite by stomping Spain 82-119 in the Olympic men's basketball tournament on Saturday in Beijing. The U.S. lifted its record to 4-0 in the group while Spain fell to 3-1 but still clinched second place. Its trademark ball-hawking defense forced 28 turnovers from Spain while the U.S. shooters sank 12 of 25 three-pointers to preserve big leads throughout the game. Eight different USA players scored in double figures, led by LeBron James, who had 18 points to go with 8 assists. Dwayne Wade and Carmello Anthony added 16 each and Chris Paul 14 for the winners. Felipe Reyes of Real Madrid led Spain with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Pau Gasol added 13 points, but no other Spain player reached double digits. [Box Score | Full Recap]

AUGUST 17/18 GAMES

Croatia 91, Iran 57: Euroleague.net reports: Croatia assured itself third place in Group A by crushing winless Iran by 57-91 at the Olympic men's basketball tournament in Beijing on Monday. Croatia finished group play at 3-2 and will now face Spain in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. The victory also relegated Australia to fourth place and a quarterfinals matchup with the United States. Croatia made sure against Iran with an incredible 8-35 second quarter that established unbridgeable differences for the rest of the game. Iran finished its first Olympics in more than half a century with an 0-5 record. Four of Croatia's scorers finished in double-figures, with Marko Tomas of Real Madrid and Marin Rozic of Cibona popping for 16 points each. Niksa Prkacin of Cibona had 15 and Damjan Rudez of Bilbao 13. Croatia played without veteran guards Zoran Planinic and Marko Popovic, the latter out for the second game in a row. Iran got 25 points from Mohammadsamad Nikkhah plus a 17-point, 15-rebound effort from Hamed Ehadadi.

Australia 106, Lithuania 75: Euroleague.net reports: Australia showed it was readier than ever for the quarterfinals by ending Lithuania's undefeated status in Group A with a blowout 106-75 victory on Monday at the Olympic men's basketball tournament in Beijing. The victory couldn't keep Australia from finishing fourth in the group with a 3-2 record because of tie-breaks, however. Australia will face Group B winner USA in Wednesday's quarterfinals. A pair of massive first-half runs established double-digit leads that Australia protected the rest of the game against Lithuania, which was already group champ and was only playing for the pride of staying undefeated. Tournament-best 16-for-25 three-point shooting saw six Australian players reach double figures, led by Andrew Bogut with 23 points. Brad Newley added 16, Chris Anstey and Patrick Mills 13 each, Glen Saville and David Barlow 10 each. Lithuania got 14 points from Ksistof Lavrinovic and 12 from his Montepaschi Siena teammate Rimantas Kaukenas. Linas Kleiza also added 12, while Euroleague MVP Ramunas Siskauskas of CSKA Moscow had 10.

Greece 91, Croatia 77: Euroleague.net reports: Greece faced down a home crowd in Beijing to win a showdown for third place in Group B by 91-77 over China in the Olympic men's basketball tournament on Monday. Greece finished with a 3-2 record and will face Argentina in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. China finished 2-3 and will go against Group A winner Lithuania in the quarters. Greece's defense gave up only 24 points in the first half and withstood 9 three-pointers by China in the second without seeing its lead fall below double digits. Vassilis Spanoulis of Panathinaikos and Giannis Bouroussis of Olympiacos paced the winners with 19 points each, while Antonis Fotsis added 17. Yao Ming had 18 points in as many minutes for China, while Wang Zhizhi added 14 and Yi Jianlian 11.

Spain 98, Angola 50: Euroleague.net reports: Spain bounced back from its loss against the United States by overwhelming Angola 50-98 in Group B at Wukesong Arena. Spain finished second in Group B with a 4-1 record and faces Croatia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Angola registered its fifth loss in as many games and was sixth in this group. Pau Gasol paced the winners with 31 points on 13-for-14 two-pointers and 9 rebounds. Juan Carlos Navarro of FC Barcelona added 12 points, Berni Rodriguez of Unicaja got 11 while Jorge Garbajosa of Khimki had 10 and 7 rebounds for Spain. Eduardo Mingas led Angola with 10 points.

USA 106, Germany 57: Euroleague.net reports: The United States of America stayed unbeaten and entered the quarterfinals as the Group B champion by thrashing Germany 106-57 at Wukesong Arena. The U.S. became the only team to stay unbeaten before the quarterfinals, while Germany finished fifth in Group B with a 1-4 record. Dwight Howard led the winners with 22 points on 9-for-10 two-pointers. Lebron James added 18 on 4-for-5 three-pointers, Kobe Bryant had 13 while Chris Paul and Dwayne Wade each got 10 for the United States. Dirk Nowitzki had 14 points for Germany while Jan Jagla of DKV Joventut added 10. Meanwhile, Patrick Femerling of Alba Berlin played his final game with the German national team... Deron Williams and Paul took over early in the second period to make it a 24-point game, 36-12. The United States kept rolling with outstanding man-to-man defense, double-teaming Nowitzki as often as possible.

Argentina 91, Russia 79: Euroleague.net reports: Argentina registered its fourth consecutive win in Beijing 2008 by edging Russia 91-79 in the final game in Group A at Wukesong Arena. Argentina was second in Group A and is set to face Greece in the do-or-die quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Russia finished fifth in Group B with a fifth and could not advance to the quarterfinals. Two-time All-Euroleague forward Luis Scola paced the winners with 37 points in 12-for-16 two-pointers and 8 rebounds, but stayed all 40 minutes on court, which could be important for the upcoming game against Greece. Former All-Euroleague second team selection Andres Nocioni added 19 points and 9 rebounds, former Euroleague Final Four MVP Manu Ginobili had 11 points while two-time All-Euroleague second team guard Pablo Prigioni scored 11 points and dished 10 assists for Argentina, the defending Olympic champion. Andrei Kirilenko led Russia with 23 points and 9 rebounds. Two-time Euroleague champion J.R. Holden added 19 points while Andrei Vorotnsevich of CSKA and Sergey Bykov of Dynamo Moscow each had 10 for the reigning European champs.

August 20: Quarterfinals

Spain 72, Croatia 59: The AP reports: Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol scored 20 points to lead world champion Spain to a 72-59 win against Croatia on Day 12 in the men's basketball quarterfinals. Felipe Reyes added 13 points for Spain, while Toronto Raptors point guard Jose Calderon added 10. Gasol also had a game-high 10 rebounds. Marko Banic had 15 points to lead Croatia.

Lithuania 94, China 68: The AP reports: Sarunas Jasikevicius scored 23 points to lead Lithuania to a 94-68 win against China, eliminating the Olympic hosts from the men's basketball competition. Lithuania plays Spain in the semifinals Friday night. Spain beat Croatia 72-59 earlier Wednesday to advance. Houston Rockets center Yao Ming had 19 points for China in what may have been the team's final game with coach Jonas Kazlauskas at the helm... By that stage, Yao, who scored 11 of his 19 points from the free throw line, appeared exhausted.

USA 116, Australia 85: The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored 25 points in his best game in Beijing, and the men's U.S. Olympic team advanced to the semifinals by beating Australia 116-85 on Wednesday night... LeBron James added 16 points for the Americans, who are guaranteed a chance to play for a medal. They need two more wins for their first gold medal in a major international competition since the 2000 Sydney Games... Full recap here.

Argentina 80, Greece 78: The AP reports: San Antonio Spurs' guard Manu Ginóbili scored 24 points and Carlos Delfino added 23 to lead defending Olympic champion Argentina into the men's semifinals with an 80-78 victory against Greece Wednesday night... Antonis Fotsis led Greece with 17 points, while Kostas Tsartsaris finished with 13.

August 22: Semifinals

Spain 91, Lithuania 86: The AP reports: Pau Gasol scored 19 points as Spain defeated Lithuania 91-86 on Friday night to advance to the Olympic gold medal game for the first time since 1984. Rudy Fernandez bounced back from a third-quarter head injury to score 18 for the Spaniards, who will face the United States for the gold medal on Sunday. The U.S. drubbed Spain 119-82 in pool play... Simas Jasaitis and Sarunas Jasikevicius each scored 19 points for Lithuania, which will play for the bronze medal for the fifth straight time... Lithuania hit five 3-pointers - three by Jasaitis - in the final 3:50 of the first half to take a 42-40 lead into intermission. The second half was a riveting possession-by-possession battle, with neither team able to open up a lead of more than four points.

USA 101, Argentina 81: The AP reports: The United States scored 21 of the first 25 points, got a big break when Argentina star Manu Ginóbili reinjured his left ankle, and surged into its first gold-medal game in eight years... Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points and LeBron James added 15, 13 in the second half... The U.S. lead was already 10 points when Ginobili, who came in leading the tournament with 20.3 points per game, went down in a play away from the ball, limped to the sideline and took off his left sneaker after reinjuring the same ankle that slowed him so badly in the Western Conference finals. See full recap.

August 24: Olympic basketball finals

Bronze Medal Game: Argentina 87, Lithuania 75 -- The AP reports: Carlos Delfino had 20 points and 10 rebounds as Argentina defeated Lithuania 87-75 on Sunday to win the Olympic bronze medal in men's basketball. Luis Scola added 16 points and Andres Nocioni had 14 for Argentina, which won the gold medal in 2004. It's the first time the Argentines have won back-to-back Olympic medals. Argentina played without Manu Ginóbili, who injured his left ankle in the semifinals against the U.S. Wearing jeans and a polo shirt, the San Antonio Spurs standout watched from the bench... Ramunas Siskauskas had 15 points for Lithuania, which fell in the bronze medal game for the second straight time... Argentina led 46-34 at halftime, opening a cushion with a barrage of 3-pointers. The Argentines hit 8-of-14 (57 percent) from beyond the arc in the first half, with Alfredo Quinteros going 3-for-3... Luis Scola once again led the way. Argentina's captain had 28 points and 11 rebounds against the U.S. and provided energy at both ends of the floor... Euroleague.net reports: Lithuania did not improve its defense after the break while Javtokas stepped up with a hook shot in the other end. Two-time All-Euroleague second team selection Pablo Prigioni of Tau Ceramica shined with a driving layup that Delfino followed with a second-chance basket, good for a 37-50 Argentinian lead. Nocioni buried a jumper while Scola scored in a two-on-two play with Prigioni to break the game open, 37-54. Lithuania called timeout and Kaukenas tried to change things with a power basket but Argentina stayed focused. Scola took over with a driving layup for a 39-57 score. Lithuania was now more aggressive in defense with Mindaugas Lukauskis of Lietuvos Rytas and Jonas Maciulis of Zalgiris on court. Argentina stayed patient, slowing down the game tempo. Delfino struck from downtown while Nocioni dunked it off a steal to make it a 20-point game, 44-64. Fast break layups by Gutierrez and Nocioni kept Argentina way ahead, 49-68, after 30 minutes. Lithuania needed a quick comeback to get back in the game and Kaukenas tried to ignit one with consecutive driving layups. Delfino sank another triple but Lukauskis and Kaukenas gave Lithuania some hope, 59-71. Scola fouled out with 5 minutes to go while All-Euroleague second team center Ksistof Lavrinovic made it an 11-point game, 64-75. Gutierrez buried a seven-meter bomb and Delfino sank free throws to seal the outcome, 64-80, as a good number of Argentinian fans were already celebrating that the team would go back home with another Olympic medal!

Gold Medal Game: USA 118, Spain 107 -- See a full recap here... Euroleague.net reports: The United States of America won its 13th gold medal in 16 Olympic appearances by beating Spain 107-118 in the final at Wukesong Arena on Sunday, in one of the best games ever seen in world basketball history. The U.S. won its first world-class competition since 2000 while Spain matched its best olympic results ever, getting its second silver medal 24 years after its first Olympic final. One of the greatest games in basketball history closed the Olympic men's basketball tournament in Beijing on Sunday with the United States on top of the world again, but Spain having put European basketball perhaps higher than ever despite losing. Dwayne Wade paced the winners with 27 points on 5-for-5 two-pointers and 4-for-7 triples. Kobe Bryant added 20, Lebron James had 14 while Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony each got 13 for the United States. Reigning ULEB Cup Final Eight MVP Rudy Fernandez led Spain with 22 points in 18 minutes. Pau Gasol added 21, two-time All-Euroleague guard Juan Carlos Navarro of FC Barcelona had 18, Carlos Jimenez of Unicaja got 12, Marc Gasol 11 and Felipe Reyes of Real Madrid 10 for Spain, that trailed 104-108 with 2:25 to go but could not complete its comeback. ... The AP reports: After overwhelming everyone for seven games, the Americans led by only four points with under 2½ minutes to play. Then the U.S. proved it could handle a close game that seemed would never come in Beijing. Their prize: the first U.S. gold medal since the 2000 Olympics... Dwyane Wade scored 27 points for the Americans, who found a much gamer Spanish team than the one it humiliated by 37 points earlier in the tournament. Kobe Bryant added 20 points. In a game so void of defense that it felt more like an NBA All-Star game than one with a title at stake, the Americans had too much offense down the stretch. Bryant converted a clutch four-point play with 3:10 remaining, holding his finger to his lips to quiet the rowdy Spanish crowd behind the basket. Wade added another 3-pointer that made it 111-104 with just over 2 minutes left, and only then could the Americans relax a little... Rudy Fernandez scored 22 points and Pau Gasol had 21 for the Spanish, the reigning world champions who were hoping to win their first Olympic gold... Spain hit seven of its first nine shots, leading for much of the first quarter. A quick burst of 10 points by James and Wade had the U.S. advantage up to 14 points with 4 minutes left in the half, but Spain chipped away and trailed only 69-61 at the break... Spain made one last push to close within 108-104 on Carlos Jimenez's 3-pointer, but Wade hit one on the other end, and the final score became lopsided when the Americans hit a bunch of free throws after the Spanish became frustrated and were called for the technicals... Euroleague.net reports: Pau Gasol stepped up with a tip-in early in the fourth quarter, as Spain had fully adjusted its 2-3 zone defense. Pau Gasol provided a highlight with an alleyoop dunk that Fernandez followed with a running triple to make it a nine-point game, 89-91, after a 9-0 run. Bryant scored in penetration off a U.S. timeout while Williams struck from downtown to give his team some fresh air at 89-96. Howard dunked it to cap a 7-0 U.S. run while Fernandez and Bryant traded triples for a 92-101 score. James scored inside but Fernandez simply took over with a dunk-and-foul over Howard, 95-103, midway through the fourth quarter. Spain tried Navarro and Fernandez at both guard spots for more fire power, while Pau Gasol followed free throws with a jumper made it a five-point game at 99-104. Bryant nailed a critical triple and the free throw that came with it but Navarro gave Spain some hope, 101-108, with 3 minutes to go. Jimenez buried a corner triple but Wade immediately answered from downtown to make Spain call timeout at 104-111. Navarro made a free throw while Bryant sealed the outcome with a driving layup, 105-113. Spain ran out of time and the U.S. became the Olympic champion in an instant classic that will go down as one of the best games in world basketball history!


BEST TEAMS IN OLYMPIC BASKETBALL: Other than the USA, in the opinion of InsideHoops.com the best teams are Spain, Argentina, Greece and Lithuania, in that order.

USA GAMES: Recaps of every Team USA game, including the exhibition games taking place before the Olympics, are on our USA Basketball page.