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2008 Olympic Games, Day 3: Thursday, August 14, 2008
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After three games, only three teams remain undefeated as the standings start to take shape in the Men’s Basketball Tournament at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Wins for Lithuania, Spain and the United States saw those sides improve to 3-0, while Croatia suffered its first loss. On the other hand, Australia and China revived their quarterfinal hopes with their respective first wins. Spain put Germany away 59-72 in Thursday’s opener, using a 3-22 charge that bridged the second and third quarters to take control of the action. 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. Australia blasted winless Iran 106-68 in the second game thanks to 24 points from Panellinios swingman Brad Newley. China topped Angola 68-85 behind a 30-point effort from Yao Ming. Lithuania held on to edge Russia 86-79 to earn the top record in Group A. Rimantas Kaukenas of Montepaschi Siena led the winners with 20 points. The U.S. overpowered Greece 92-69 as Kobe Bryant and Chris Bosh netted 18 apiece. And in the day’s finale, Argentina never trailed en route to a 77-53 win over Croatia punctuated by 18 points and 8 rebounds from Andres Nocioni. Among the games to look forward to on Saturday is world champion Spain against 2000 Olympic gold medallist U.S., while Lithuania and Croatia battle for Group A supremacy and China and Germany meet in a crucial encounter for survival.
 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. Germany went to Kaman and Nowitzki for quick baskets early and moved ahead 8-2 as Hamann added 4 points of his own. Spain drew within 10-7 on free throws by Marc Gasol before Demond Greene blasted a triple to keep Germany safe. Calderon answered from downtown for Spain, but Sven Schultze dropped a one-handed runner on the first-quarter buzzer to leave Germany in front, 15-12. Jan Jagla of DKV Joventut opened the second quarter with a baseline turnaround shot and soon banked in a long triple for Germany's high lead of the game, 22-14. Mumbru responded for Spain by hitting a triple and posting up for another basket at 24-22. Greene again gave Germany breathing room from long-range at 29-24, but Spain kept chipping away with Pau Gasol following his 4 free throws with a dunk to tie 31-31. Pascal Roller's triple preserved Germany's lead one more time, but the half ended with Rudy Fernandez stealing and raining a step-back three-pointer for Spain's first lead since the game's opening basket, 36-39. Spain took complete control in the first minute of the second half. First, Mumbru blasted a triple. Next, Fernandez got his own offensive rebound and fed Rubio for a three-point play. Rubio then stole and scored before Garbajosa blasted a triple to end a 0-12 run with Spain ahead 36-50. Nowitzki calmed Germany with a triple, but Garbajosa matched it for a 39-55 lead. With Patrick Femerling scoring on the buzzer, Germany was able to shave the difference to 48-59 after three quarters. After a Nowitzki jumper made it 50-60 early in the fourth, Mumbru launched his third long-distance stroke. Germany got the difference down to single digits twice again, on a drive by Hamann and a dunk by Chris Kaman, but Calderon's third triple, with two minutes left, made it 56-68 and sealed the outcome for Spain.
 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. Australia improved to 1-2 in Group A and faces Russia in its next challenge Saturday. Iran remained winless and could find itself eliminated if it doesn't beat Argentina in its next encounter. Australia dominated from the start, first with Newley connecting on a pair of baskets in an 8-0 opening charge and then increasing the lead to 14-1 before Hamed Ehadadi converted Iran’s first field goal. Hamed Afagh Eslamieh hit from downtown to cut the gap to 18-9, but Australia remained in charge as Patrick Mills and Chris Anstey helped the Aussies to a 28-15 advantage after 10 minutes. Shawn Redhage buried a pair of jumpers in a 9-0 push early in the second period to further bury Iran 37-17. Mohammadsamad Nikkhah pushed Iran back to within 12, but Newley scored 8 in an 11-0 run that helped make it 53-29 by halftime and Iran never threatened again. Australia's lead slowly grew throughout the second half, peaking at 101-58 on a Joe Ingles jumper that capped an 11-point run with three minutes remaining in the game. 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 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. Zhu opened the game with a triple and soon as joined by Yao and Yue as China sped to a 4-17 advantage. Even with Carlos Morais and Milton Barros hitting three-pointers, Angola could get no closer than 15-28 after 10 minutes. Wang Shipeng kept China's advantage wide, at 21-35, before Angola picked up the pace in the second quarter, following Gomes on a 21-9 run that brought the African champs within 42-44 at the half. Three-pointers by Yue, Liu Wei and Zhu helped China recover quickly after the break, then Chen Jianghua poured in 4 points to cap the third quarter with a 51-65 scoreboard. When Morais and Armando Costs hit triples for Angola to make it 57-66 early in the fourth quarter, China turned to Yao, whose 10 consecutive points put his team in charge agai at 62-78 and on its way to a first victory.
 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. Lithuania had a strong start, as free throws by Siskauskas and a second-chance layup by Jasikevicius gave their team a 7-3 lead. Russia found a go-to guy in Holden, who stepped up with back-to-back baskets and fed Savrasenko for an easy layup. Lithuania did not panic, however, as Jasikevicius and Ksistof Lavrinovic kept their team ahead, 21-16. Kirilenko had all points in a 0-6 run that gave Russia its first lead, 21-22, while free throws by Khryapa fixed the score at 23-24 after 10 minutes. Siskauskas, Linas Kleiza and Ksistof Lavrinovic took over early in the second quarter but Savrasenko and Kirilenko led a 0-6 run that put Russia back ahead, 31-34. Jasikevicius kept pacing Lithuania but Savrasenko and Holden tied the game again, 38-38. Kaukenas sank a jumper and Siskauskas added a triple to keep Lithuania ahead, 44-41, at halftime. An outstanding Kaukenas led a 8-1 run that boosted the Lithuanian lead to double digits, 52-42, early in the third quarter. Viktor Keyru and his CSKA teammate Holden rescued Russia, making Lithuania call timeout at 54-50. Russia had improved its defense with Holden stopping Kaukenas now, while Sergey Monya of Dynamo Moscow and Keyru struck from downtown for a 59-59 tie. Siskauskas and Jasaitis buried respective triples in a 10-1 run that gave Lithuania some fresh air, 69-62, after 30 minutes. Russia was not done, however, as Khryapa sank a three-pointer and Kirilenko added a driving layup to get his team within 71-69 with 7 minutes to go. Kirilenko was all over the place now and his free throws completed the Russian comeback, 73-75. Kaukenas and Siskauskas hit critical shots while Jonas Maciulis of Zalgiris nailed a corner triple for a 82-77 Lithuanian lead with 3 minutes remaining. Russia did not recover and Lithuania cruised to a key win.
 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. The U.S. ran their offense through Bryant in the early going but they also entered the foul bonus in just 2 minutes. Meanwhile, Spanoulis and a power dunk by Fotsis gave Greece a 4-6 lead. Greece tried to slow down the game tempo as much as possible to find open shots, while surprising starter Andreas Glyniadakis of Maroussi Costa Coffee and Panos Vasilopoulos of Olympiacos kept their team ahead, 7-11. Chris Paul and Bryant stepped up for the U.S. while Bryant dunked it to give his team a 15-13 lead. A 13-2 run that Wade capped with a put-back basket allowed the USA to get a 20-16 edge after 10 minutes. Bryant and Giannis Bouroussis of Olympiacos traded dunks early in the second quarter, but the U.S. dominated the game tempo now. James provided a highlight with an incredible dunk, as Papaloukas tried to cool down the Greek offense. Nikos Zisis of CSKA Moscow took over with a three-point play but James and Wade allowed the United States to make it a double-digit game, 36-26. Greece kept struggling to score while Bryant and an unstoppable Bosh led an 11-0 run that broke the game open and boosted the U.S. margin to 51-32 at halftime. Greece improved after the break but only managed to trade baskets for a while, as three-pointers by Fotsis and Papaloukas only got Greece within 57-40. Carmelo Anthony and Bryant struck from downtown and even when Spanoulis and Papaloukas stepped up to bring Greece within 65-49. The U.S. kept scoring fluidly in transition to keep a 74-54 margin after 30 minutes. Greece needed a quick comeback to keep its options alive but the United States kept playing physical, with outstanding intensity. James fed Bosh for a two-handed dunk while Carlos Boozer scored in the paint to make it a 25-point lead, 82-57, with 4 minutes to go, enough to seal the outcome long before the final buzzer.
 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. Both teams had a slow start and went scoreless in the opening 3 minutes until Scola stepped up with a layup that Nocioni followed with a corner triple for a 5-0 lead. Croatia tried to run its offense through Banic and Stanko Barac of Tau Ceramica but Fabricio Oberto and Nocioni kept Argentina ahead, 10-5. Scola and Ginobili took over in the final minutes of the first period while two-time All-Euroleague second team selection Pablo Prigioni made free throws for a 21-13 Argentinian lead after 10 minutes. Croatia tried to get Niksa Prkacin of Cibona involved in the low post but Argentina kept controlling the boards while a layup by Oberto made it a double-digit game, 25-15. Delfino struck from downtown while Scola added a put-back basket for a 15-point Argentinian lead at 30-15. Argentina kept excelling in defense, while Roman Gonzalez and an outstanding Nocioni boosted their team's lead to 40-22 at halftime. Banic, Barac and Tomas tried to change things for Croatia right after the break but Scola and Nocioni gave Argentina some fresh air, 47-30. Davor Kus of Unicaja and Zoran Planinic of CSKA fueled a 1-8 run that gave Croatia some hope at 51-38. A turnaround jumper by Juanpi Gutierrez, a seven-meter three-pointer by Delfino and a buzzer-beating layup by Prigioni helped Argentina to seal the outcome, 59-38, after 30 minutes. Nocioni kept pacing Argentina, that now tried to keep a big margin to win any tie-break situation with both teams involved. Nocioni, Ginobili and Nocioni - who else? - combined for all points in a 10-1 run that boosted the Argentinian lead to 71-42. Everything was said and done already, as Argentina will keep an eye on the game between Croatia and Lithuania right before facing Iran on Saturday.
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Thursday, August 14, 2008
Euroleague.net
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