Marcelo Machado hit five three-pointers and finished with 20 points to lead Brazil to a 101-75 victory over winless Venezuela on Friday in the opening round of the FIBA Americas tournament.
In other games, Argentina beat Puerto Rico 87-75, Panama downed Mexico 95-90 and Canada won 93-83 against the US Virgin Islands.
Machado hit four of the threes in the first half when Brazil (2-0) took a 43-36 lead.
Hector Romero had 21 points for Venezuela, which was able to stay close for the first half despite shooting 39 percent (11-for-28) and being outrebounded 23-15.
Venezuela (0-3) will play the US Virgin Islands (0-2) in its final opening-round game today. If it comes down to a matchup of the winless teams today, the loser will be the only one of the five teams in Group B not to advance to the second round.
Luis Scola had 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead Argentina, which trailed by 14 points in the first half, over Puerto Rico.
Scola was most of the offense early for Argentina and scored the first five points in a 14-2 second quarter run that brought the South Americans back into the match.
Argentina, playing without NBA regulars Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto and Andres Nocioni from the team that won Olympic gold in 2004, started going inside and took control by getting Puerto Rico's big players in foul trouble.
Argentina was 20-for-28 from the free throw line while Puerto Rico was 14-for-16.
Larry Ayuso had 22 points for Puerto Rico.
Scola made two free throws with 4 minutes, 11 seconds left that gave Argentina its first lead, 52-51. Argentina went on to lead by as many as 15 points before winning by 12.
Danilo Pinnock scored 30 points to lead Panama to its first victory by downing Mexico.
Pinnock had 21 points in the first half. His last three points were free throws that helped hold off a closing run by Mexico.
A Romel Beck three-pointer closed the margin to four points with 2 minutes, 49 seconds to play. Pinnock made two free throws with 2 minutes, 25 seconds left to get Panama's lead back to six. After Gustavo Ayon and Beck brought Mexico within two points with a minute left, Pinnock made one of two free throws with 17 seconds left for a three-point lead.
Panama committed two fouls to prevent Mexico from taking three-point attempts, but Beck got off a potential tying shot that missed from the right corner, before two free throws made the final margin five points.
Beck had 28 points to lead Mexico.
Sam Dalembert had 15 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots to lead Canada over the US Virgin Islands.
Dalembert, the Philadelphia 76ers center who became a Canadian citizen last month, was helped inside by Juan Mendez, who scored 22 points and had seven rebounds.
The Virgin Islands, which lost 123-59 to the US in its opener, got within seven points with 3 minutes, 24 seconds to go. But Carl English hit a three to break a scoring drought by Canada and give it an 89-79 lead.
Jason Edwin led the Virgin Islands with 26 points, including going six-for-eight from beyond the three-point line.
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