Brazil hands Argentina first FIBA loss

Staff and wire reports

To understand the rivalry between Argentina and Brazil, think Spurs-Mavericks or Lakers-Celtics, with a healthy dose of nationalism added to the mix.

So while Wednesday’s game at the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament in Mar del Plata, Argentina, meant little in the scope of the event — both teams already had qualified for the semifinals on Saturday — it meant a packed house at Malvinas Argentinas Arena, filled mostly with flag-waving, chanting Argentines.

But the locals were left stunned by the outcome: Brazil 73, Argentina 71.

Worse than Argentina’s first loss of the tournament was an injury to Andres Nocioni, the Philadelphia 76ers forward who is one of the team’s top offensive players and its emotional leader.

Jumping center for his team, Nocioni won the opening tap from Spurs center Tiago Splitter but landed awkwardly on his right ankle. Nocioni left the game and did not return, and his status for the remainder of the tournament is unclear.

Coming off a 26-point game against Uruguay in which he made 6 of 8 on 3-pointers, Spurs star Manu Ginobili missed his three long-range attempts against Brazil and made only 5 of 12 total shots. Ginobili scored 14 points but had only one assist and three rebounds, his least effective game of the tournament.

Splitter was in foul trouble early and played only 18 minutes but still managed to grab eight rebounds and hand out three assists.

Canada 70, Uruguay 68: Canada, with Spurs draftee and former Texas star Cory Joseph getting two points, two rebounds and two assists, kept alive its hopes for a spot in next summer’s pre-Olympic qualifying tournament with a win. The fifth-place team at the FIBA Americas will earn that spot. The Canadians need a victory against Panama today, plus a Puerto Rico victory over Venezuela, to clinch that berth.

– Mike Monroe

France 68, Turkey 64: Led by 20 points from Spurs point guard Tony Parker, France moved closer to the quarterfinals of the European basketball championship by beating Turkey.

Parker made 7 of 8 free throws in the final 18 seconds to lift his team, although France nearly squandered a 15-point lead in Vilnius, Lithuania, in the second-round group stage of the tournament.

Spain 77, Germany 68: The Gasol brothers — Pau and Marc — got the better of Dirk Nowitzki, leaving Germany on the brink of elimination of the European tournament.

– Associated Press

Ginobili’s aggressive play fuels victory

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina — Eric Musselman, head coach of Venezuela’s team in the FIBA Americas pre-Olympic qualifying tournament, served three seasons as an NBA coach — two with the Warriors and one with the Kings.

So when the play near the end of the first half of Tuesday’s Argentina-Venezuela game turned extremely physical, Musselman knew what to expect from Spurs star Manu Ginobili, who is leading Argentina in a competition that will qualify two teams for the 2012 Olympics in London.

“He’s just an amazing player, and the more competitive the game is, the more he seems to have an impact,” Musselman said. “He’s a competitive guy who just has a knack for making huge shots at inopportune times for the opposition.”

Musselman lamented a pair of back-to-back 3-pointers Ginobili made in the second quarter of Argentina’s 111-93 victory at Malvinas Argentinas Arena.

His team had just scored eight unanswered points to pull within six of the tournament’s only undefeated team, at 38-32, with halftime approaching.

Ginobili, more aggressive on offense than at any time in the tournament, made back-to-back 3-pointers, followed with a slick pass to Luis Scola for a shot that turned into a pair of made foul shots, and another assist to Pablo Prigioni for another 3-pointer.

Ginobili made 10 of 14 shots, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range, and finished with a game-high 26 points.

Two of the three Spurs players in the tournament will continue into the tournament semifinals, which already are set before the final two days of the second preliminary round.

Argentina and Tiago Splitter’s Brazilian team, a 90-65 victor over Panama on Tuesday, have advanced to the semifinals, along with Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Splitter scored three points, grabbed three rebounds and had three assists in Brazil’s easy win that clinched its spot in the semifinals.

Manu looks rusty, but Argentina cruises to easy win over Paraguay

Argentina showed Tuesday why most observers have pegged them as a heavy favorite to win the FIBA Americas  tournament.

“The Golden Generation” jumped on Paraguay early and cruised to an 84-52 victory in their first game of the tournament at Mar del Plata, Argentina.

For Spurs Nation, the best part of the game was seeing Manu Ginobili playing in mid-season form, without the “Robo Cop” bandage on his broken right arm from the playoffs.

Ginobili started at shooting guard, but served more in the role of a playmaker than as a shooter for his team. He struggled at times with three of Argentina’s 12 turnovers, but also added 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. 

The Argentina defense allowed Paraguay to shoot only 30 percent from the field. And their offense was strong as they sliced through Paraguay’s match-up zone defense for 69 percent shooting in the first quarter en route to an early 30-8 lead and cruised from there.

Former Spurs center Fabricio Oberto did not play in Tuesday’s game as he recovers from a ruptured muscle in his hand. He is expected to be ready for Argentina’s game Friday against Puerto Rico.  

Paolo Quinteros led Argentina with 19 points and Luis Scola added 14, including his first five field-goal attempts.

The Argentinians return to action at 4 p.m. Wednesday against Uruguay. Their first-game performance was a strong statement heading into the rest of the tournament.