Usman Garuba, Spain begin Tokyo Olympics with win over Japan

Ricky Rubio on Monday tied a game-high with 20 points, Victor Claver scored 13 points and Marc Gasol added 12 points to lead Spain to an 88-77 victory over Japan in the Tokyo Olympics.

Usman Garuba, a projected first-round pick in the NBA draft, produced one point, six rebounds and one blocked shot as Spain opened up its stay in Tokyo with a strong win over the hometown team. Alex Abrines also scored 11 points and Pau Gasol had nine points.

The two teams played a close game through midway of the second quarter. With the game tied up at 26 points apiece, Spain then reeled off a 19-0 run to take a 48-28 lead at halftime. Japan cut the lead to 10 points late in the third but could not get any closer.

With the win, Spain now sits atop the standings in Group C, along with Slovenia after they beat Argentina on Monday. Spain will return to action on Thursday versus Argentina as a win will likely ensure they advance to the quarterfinals.

The men’s basketball quarterfinals in the Olympics will start on Aug. 3 and consist of the top two teams in each group from the preliminary phase plus the two best third-place teams.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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