FIBA World Cup Day 14: Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio propel Spain into final vs. Argentina
Former NBA player Luis Scola has been the backbone for Argentina the entire tournament. He had another outstanding performance in the semifinals against France, scoring 28 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
France, which eliminated Team USA in the quarterfinals, struggled on offense all game shooting only 39 percent from the field. Argentina led by double digits much of the game and had its largest lead to close out the victory, 80-66. This will be the first time Argentina has made the World Cup final since 2002.
Spain is the other team heading to the finals after a thrilling double-OT win over Australia 95-88. This was the first double-OT game in a medal round in FIBA World Cup history.
Raptors center Marc Gasol did it all for Spain scoring 33 points on 11-for-19 shooting, grabbing six boards and dishing out four assists. With four seconds left in regulation Australia’s Patty Mills stepped to the line for a pair of free throws trailing 71-70. He made the first and missed the second to send the game into OT.
Gasol was too much for the Aussie defense in extra minutes, when he had 11 of his 33 points, including a pair of free throws to send the game into double-OT. This will be Spain’s first appearance in the World Cup final since 2006.
Friday’s scores:
Argentina 80, France 66
Spain 95, Australia 88 (2OT)
Below we take a look at how other NBA players fared:
Charlotte Hornets
Nicolas Batum (France): 3 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 assist.
Willy Hernangomez (Spain): 4 rebounds, 1 assist.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Matthew Dellavedova (Australia): 6 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists.
Denver Nuggets
Juancho Hernangomez (Spain): 8 points, 4 rebounds.
New York Knicks
Frank Ntilikina (France): 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists.
Orlando Magic
Evan Fournier (France): 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists.
Phoenix Suns
Aron Baynes (Australia): 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 assist.
Ricky Rubio (Spain): 19 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists.
San Antonio Spurs
Patty Mills (Australia): 34 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists.
Toronto Raptors
Marc Gasol (Spain): 33 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 4 assists.
Utah Jazz
Rudy Gobert (France): 3 points, 11 rebounds, 1 block.
Joe Ingles (Australia): 4 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists.
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