Dwyane Wade scored 20 points and the US clinched a berth in the playoff rounds of the World Basketball Championship with a 114-95 victory over Slovenia yesterday.
The US collection of NBA stars improved to 3-0 in round-robin play, matching 2004 Olympic runner-up Italy atop Group D ahead of their meeting tonight to decide a top seed in the knockout rounds.
LeBron James added 19 points while Elton Brand scored 16 and Carmelo Anthony contributed 14 for the US squad.
PHOTO: EPA
The US are trying to reclaim the global throne in the US-born sport, having finished a shameful sixth at the 2002 worlds and settling for third at the 2004 Olympics despite its array of elite NBA talent.
Slovenia boasted plenty of NBA talent as well, including New Jersey forward Bostjan Nachbar, San Antonio Spurs guard Beno Udrih, Toronto center Radoslav Nesterovic and Charlotte center Primoz Brezec.
Slovenia stayed close to the US team until a 23-7 run in the second quarter brought the NBA greats a double-digit lead for good. LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony each scored six points in the run while Chris Paul added five.
Fast break slam dunks from US tri-captains Wade, James and Anthony set the tone by the middle of the second quarter, although Slovenia pushed the deep US side to sustain a high level with late flurries to shrink the final margin.
A 14-2 Slovenia run late in the fourth quarter trimmed the US lead, once 29 points, as low as 105-94 before the US defense stiffened.
Sani Becirovic of Italy's Bologna led Slovenia with 18 points.
Lithuania 106, Qatar 65
AFP, HAMAMATSU, Japan
European giants Lithuania finally came good yesterday, humbling Qatar 106-65 on the back of 20 points from Ksystof Lavrinovic to secure a vital win.
Two close losses in a row coming into the game had given Lithuania plenty to think about and they came out firing on all cylinders, with big centers Lavrinovic and his twin brother Darius doing the damage.
Darius contributed 12 points while Denver Nugget Linas Kleiza added 14.
Abdulrahman Saad Ali top scored with 20 for Qatar, the Asian championship bronze medalists who are now 0-3 and in real danger of elimination from the competition.
Lithuania's hopes remain alive but they face tough battles against Australia on today and Brazil tomorrow in their late drive to make the knockout rounds in Saitama.
The win was a much-needed shot-in-the-arm for the perennial favorite.
The defensive frailties evident in their earlier Group C losses to Greece and Turkey evaporated yesterday against a Qatari side looking tired and devoid of ideas.
The European powerhouse immediately rolled onto the offensive to take a vice-like grip of a game they had to win, ending the first quarter 31-11.
They continued where they left off in the second, scoring a 15-0 run at one point as the hapless Qataris floundered to finish the frame 60-28 behind.
The third ended 78-51 to a Lithuania side boasting talent such as Chicago Bull Darius Songalia and former New Orleans Hornet Arvydas Macijauskas.
The magic 100 mark was broken by Mindaugas Zukauskas with a jump shot 2:12 from the buzzer.
Qatar face an uphill battle for survival with Turkey and Australia still to play.
Greece 72, Australia 69
AFP, HAMAMATSU, Japan
A three-pointer from Nikos Zisis with 2 seconds left on the clock handed European champions Greece a nailbiting 72-69 win over Australia yesterday.
Australia looked to have the game under control when a six-point spurt within 30 seconds from Milwaukee Buck Andrew Bogut put them in the driving seat with a minute left, but Greece never gave up.
The Boomers were leading by three points with 19 seconds to go only to see the match snatched from their grasp with Antonis Fotsis bagging a three-pointer with nine seconds left before Zisis shattered Australian dreams.
It leaves the Greeks 3-0 and ensures them qualification for the knockout stages in Saitama starting on Saturday.
The Aussies made the early inroads, taking a seven point lead in the first quarter before giving it away to end the period level pegging at 17-17.
The lead seesawed in the second before a three-pointer from Dimitris Diamantidis gave Greece a 39-34 edge going into the second half.
Bogut was fired up and taking no prisoners, directing the floor as his side inched ahead in the third frame 56-55 before the nailbiting climax.
Diamantidis top scored for Greece with 20 while Bogut at 18 was Australia's target man.
Italy 64, Senegal 56
AFP, SAPPORO
Italy scored 14 points in a row in the fourth quarter while keeping Senegal without a point for six minutes in a 64-56 victory here yesterday to stay unbeaten.
Matteo Soragna scored 15 points while Marco Mordente added 14 for the 2004 Olympic silver medal squad, which improved to 3-0 in Group D round-robin play ahead of tomorrow's meeting with the US.
Senegal seized a 31-28 half-time edge and led most of the second half, the Africans stretching their fourth-quarter advantage to 51-44 on a Elhadji N'Doye tip-in before going pointless for six minutes.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Stefano Mancinelli and Andrea Michelori pulled the Italians close and Michelori's jumper with 5:47 remaining gave them a 52-51 lead.
Mancinelli added a tip-in, Mordente followed with a basket and Richard Rocca's steal and layup gave Italy a 58-51 edge with 2:38 remaining.
Senegal awoke but it was too little and far too late as Mordente and Soragna added 3-pointers in the closing minutes to end the Africans' faint hopes.
Turkey 73, Brazil 71
AFP, HAMAMATSU, Japan
Phoenix Sun Leandro Barbosa fluffed two free throws with six seconds on the clock to consign Brazil to a 73-71 defeat to Turkey in their Group C match yesterday.
Barbosa, who recently signed a new multi-million dollar five-year contract with Phoenix, lost his composure to leave Brazil 1-2 and fighting for survival in Group C while Turkey go though to the knockout rounds at 3-0.
Barbosa's miss ruined an otherwise fine performance from the guard in which he was the top scorer for the Brazilians with 26. Marcelinho Machado added 13.
Serkan Erogan made 21 for Turkey, including four three-pointers, and Ibrahim Kutluay contributed 14.
The victory for Bogdan Tanjevic's impressive Turks was all the sweeter as Brazil narrowly beat them at the same stages in the 2002 championships in Indianapolis, the first time the teams had ever met.
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