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NBA-powered American team show no mercy to Nigeria
LOS ANGELES: The US, gunning for their third straight Olympic basketball gold medal, wrapped up their pre-Summer Games exhibition series with a dominating 110-66 win over world number 25 Nigeria.
The Americans’ buildup to the Rio de Janeiro Games included five straight exhibition wins, but just one came against an opponent ranked in the top 10 in the world.
They easily beat No. 4 Argentina, No. 14 China twice and rolled over No. 22 Venezuela by 35 points.
“We played good defence and it led to some fast breaks,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
“Our team is very deep. The most versatile team we have had.”
Despite the absence of NBA stars LeBron James and Stephen Curry, Krzyzewski’s squad is favoured to win a third consecutive gold.
A half-dozen Americans finished in double figures on Monday, including Carmelo Anthony, who tallied a team high 19 points.
Klay Thompson (17), Kevin Durant (14), DeMar DeRozan (13), DeMarcus Cousins (10) and DeAndre Jordan (10) also finished in double figures. Kyle Lowry had 11 assists and Jordan grabbed nine rebounds in the victory at the Toyota Centre arena in Houston, Texas.
“It was good way to close it out. Now the big show starts and we got to lock in,” Anthony said.
He also complained on Monday about the basketball they are going to using during the Rio Games, saying he prefers the heavier NBA ball.
“It is lighter and more slippery,” Anthony said. “When it gets wet it is harder to control. That’s a ball you really have to get used to.”
Point guard Kyrie Irving (bruised left thigh) and Paul George (left calf ) sat out with injuries on Monday. Irving injured his thigh when he collided with a Venezuela player during Friday’s contest in Chicago.
Venezuela are in the first-round group with the US, China, Australia, France and Serbia.
The Americans play the Chinese again to open the Rio Olympics on Saturday and also meet Venezuela again. — AFP