in the game. However, Durant made his seventh
3-pointer when the USA needed it most, and when Paul followed up with his own 3-ball with 2:07 to go, the USA had regained momentum and control 84-76 to roll on for the 86-80 win. In addition to Durant’s 27 points,
Bryant added 18 points, James recorded 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Westbrook tossed in 13 points. Chandler led the U.S. effort on the glass with eight boards. Ginobili finished with 23 points for
Argentina, while Delfino added 15 points Scola finished with 14 points.
USA 100, Spain 78 Fueled by game high 27 points
from Anthony and 25 more from James, the USA placed an exclamation point on its 2012 tour with a commanding 100-78 win over host and No. 2 ranked world power Spain at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain. “I thought we played extremely
well. Carmelo (Anthony) was sensation- al. I thought his play in the first quarter and second period was the difference in the game,” said Krzyzewski. “Carmelo kind of kept us in it, and our bench kept us in. We got a really good performance from Kevin Love - double-figure rebounds. We shared the ball well in the second half. We were very pleased with the win.”
Struggling to find its shooting eye
early, the U.S. fell behind 10-3 before the game was three minutes old. After Chandler went to the bench
after picking up his second foul before the midway point in the opening quarter, Anthony came in off the bench and delivered a much needed offensive spark. Drilling back-to-back 3-pointers to get the U.S. offense rolling, the USA closed the deficit to 12-9 with 4:40 left in the quarter. “I think we came out a little bit too
focused, a little bit overzealous at the beginning, and they jumped on us quick,” remarked Anthony. “They came out with a lot of intensity and got a some easy shots, easy baskets. Once we settled down and made a couple plays defen- sively, got back to our comfort zone, we didn’t look back from there.” Oklahoma City Thunder forward
USA Basketball News
Serge Ibaki pumped in 10 straight points for the Spaniards and following a basket by Victor Sada, the hosts, to the delight of their sold-out home crowd, were enjoying a 22-13 lead with 1:48 showing on the clock. Williams got the U.S.
on the right path with an old-fashioned 3-point play, then Anthony hit a jumper, Williams made a free throw, and when Westbrook dropped a jumper with just :06 left, the quarter closed with the USA trailing 23-21.
Picking up its defensive
intensity and getting into transition, the U.S. forced Spain into seven turnovers and outscored their opponents 27-17 in the second quarter to regain control. A 3-pointer from
Anthony and another three by James propelled the Americans in front 28-26 with 7:04 to go before half. Tied at 30, Anthony, who scored 22 of his game high 27 points in the first half, piled up eight points in a USA 11-0 run that saw the U.S. team grab control 42-32 with 2:59 left in the second period. Spain tallied the final five points in
the first half, but still lagged behind at halftime, 48-40. Durant, who was quiet in the first
half tallying three points, took over. Durant hit a 3-pointer, then added a fast break layup as the USA went up 53-42. Leading 55-46, Durant added anoth-
er 3-pointer and then a slam to make the game 60-46 with 6:29 left in the third. Spain tried once more to get back
into the game only this time Westbrook answered with seven straight points to push the U.S. lead to 21, 69-48 with 4:18 in the third. Spain outscored the U.S. 13-5 to
close the quarter and reduce the gap to 74-61 heading into the fourth quarter. Leading 80-67 with 6:50 to play,
James took control and poured in 12 of the USA’s next 14 points as it opened up a 94-74 lead to seal the victory.
Carmelo Anthony led the USA offensive effort in its exhibition game victory over host Spain accounting for a game high 27 points.
The USA’s shooting from afar was
excellent for a second consecutive game. Shooting 54.3 percent (38-70 FGs) from the field, the U.S. made 13-of-23 3-pointers. The USA also won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the taller Spanish squad 35-24.
Aiding the USA offense in addition
to Anthony and James was Durant, who finished with 13 points and eight rebounds. Westbrook tossed in nine points, and Harden finished with seven points. Love came up with a game best 10 rebounds, James handed out seven assists.
Los Angeles Lakers Pau Gasol
finished with 19 points, and Ibaka added 16 for Spain.
“I think we’ve gotten better. I think
we need to use pool play first of all to qualify for medal play but also I think to get five more international games under our belt. I thought we reacted better tonight than two nights ago to the international game and we have to keep learning about it,” stated Krzyzewski.
39
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images
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