By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Carlos Delfino was shooting from downtown and Lithuania could not react. Argentina won the last game of Men’s basketball tournament first day at London against an ambitious, but disappointing opponent. The final score was 102-79 with Delfino having 20 points with 6/9 three pointers in just 22 minutes of play and Luis Scola being the top scorer with 32 points. Linas Kleiza did score 20 points for “Lietuva” but his team had a horrible night.
Just before that, Andrei Kirilenko and Alexey Shved wanted to put a show and they sure did. The once (in CSKA Moscow) and future (in Minnesota Timberwolves) teammates proved to be too much for host Great Britain, who got beat by Russia 95-75. Kirilenko scored 35 points on 85% shooting percentage and Shved showcased not only his scoring with 16 points, but also his passing ability with 13 assists, a proof that he can be effective in both guard positions. Luol Deng with 26 points and Pops Mensah Bonsu with 22 did their best for GB.
Also, as it was expected, Spain won by 16 points (97-81) the game against China after a nervous start. Pau Gasol with 21 points and 11 board was first among equals, while the Asian team was lucky to have former NBA free agent Yi Jianlian on a big day (30 p., 12 r.).