Olympic Basketball 2012 Scores: Group Round Standings, Stats & More

Always a favorite among Americans, the basketball tournament at the Summer Olympics promises to be an excellent competition at the 2012 Games.

While the United States will be serious favorites to take home gold, there is plenty of star power throughout the tournament, and countries such as Spain, Argentina, France and Brazil are not to be overlooked.

If you've been searching for a place to stay updated with all of the results during the group play portion of the tournament, you've come to the right place. We'll be recording all of the results right here, along with group standings and more to keep you in the loop.

Let the Games begin.

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Group A Standings

Note: Wins in group play are worth two points, while losses are worth one point. I'm not sure why a loss is worth anything, but so it goes. The top four countries from each group will qualify for the knockout stage.

Group Favorite: United States

Players to Watch: Tony Parker, France; Manu Ginobili, Argentina; the entire U.S. roster.

Country	Wins	Losses	Points
United States	5	0	10
France	4	1	9
Argentina	3	2	8
Lithuania	2	3	7
Nigeria	1	5	6
Tunisia	0	5	5

Group B Standings

Note: Wins in group play are worth two points, while losses are worth one point. I'm not sure why a loss is worth anything, but so it goes. The top four countries from each group will qualify for the knockout stage.

Group Favorite: Spain

Players to Watch: Pau and Marc Gasol, Spain; Luol Deng, Great Britain; Andrei Kirilenko, Russia; Leandro Barbosa, Brazil

Country	Wins	Losses	Points
Russia	4	1	9
Brazil	4	1	9
Australia	3	2	8
Spain	3	2	8
Great Britain	1	4	6
China	0	5	5

Schedule and Results: Sunday, July 29

Group A (All Times Eastern)

Nigeria vs. Tunisia, 4:00 a.m. 

Result: Nigeria 60, Tunisia 56

Nigeria used a 31-15 halftime advantage to hold off Tunisia in its opening game. It was a comfortable game for Nigeria up until the fourth quarter when Tunisia outscored the Nigerians 25-15.

Former NCAA stars Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest) and Ike Diogu (Arizona State) combined for 23 points for Nigeria. Alade Aminu scored a team-high 15 points.

Amine Rzig, Tunisia's captain, scored a team-high 18 points.

United States vs. France, 10:30 a.m. 

Result: USA 98, France 71

The United States used a 26-point second and third quarter advantage to blow away from France in its opening round game. Kevin Durant scored a team-high 22 points in a balanced United States' attack.

Every American added at least one point on the day which goes to show that the egos were left in America. This team is ready to steamroll the competition and Sunday was only the beginning.

Ali Traore paced France with 12 points.

Argentina vs. Lithuania, 5:15 p.m.

Result: Argentina 102, Lithuania 79

NBA stars Luis Scola, Manu Ginobili and Carlos Delfino proved to be too much for Lithuania to handle on Sunday.

Scola scored a game-high 32 points, Ginobili scored 21 and Delfino added 20 to overpower Lithuania.

Linas Kleiza scored 20 points to lead the way for Lithuania.

Group B (All Times Eastern)

Brazil vs. Australia, 6:15 a.m.

Result: Brazil 75, Australia 71

Brazil edged a feisty and competitive Australia team Sunday by four points. Four Brazilians scored double figures including Leandro Barbosa's team-high 16 points.

Australia has a team full of jump shooters and guys who can knock down the perimeter shot. But when those shots don't fall like on Sunday (4-for-22) a loss is on the radar for the Aussies.

That's exactly what happened.

Spain vs. China, 11:45 a.m.

Result: Spain 97, China 81

Yi Jianlian's 30 point performance wasn't enough to handle the talented Spaniards led by Pau Gasol and Serge Ibaka down low.

Pau Gasol scored 21 and Ibaka added 17 points while dominating the paint on both ends of the floor.

Spain shared the ball especially well, dishing out 27 assists.

Russia vs. Great Britain, 3:00 p.m.

Result: Russia 95, Great Britain 75

Minnesota Timberwolves' newest acquisition Andrei Kirilenko scored a game-high 35 points to push Russia to an opening round victory over Great Britain Sunday.

Luol Deng paced Great Britain with 25 points.

Schedule and Results: Tuesday, July 31

Group A (All Times Eastern)

Lithuania vs. Nigeria, 9:30 a.m.

Result: Lithuania 72, Nigeria 53

The Cinderella Nigerian team got its tournament off to a great start with a victory over African rival Tunisia, but a reality check was in store on Tuesday as Lithuania beat Nigeria by 19. Offense wasn't Nigeria's strong suit in its first game and that continued to be the case as it could only muster 53 points with star forward Ike Diogu scoring 12 of them.

Lithuania was only up seven at halftime, but stifling defense and efficient offense allowed the squad to bust things wide open in the closing stages. Former NBA forward Darius Songaila paced the Lithuanians with 12 points, while current Toronto Raptor Linas Kleiza added 11 points of his own.

Things were fairly even in terms of rebounding and turnovers, but shooting efficiency is what ultimately did the African side in. Nigeria shot a paltry 30 percent from two-point range during the game, while Lithuania was solid at 54 percent. Also, the Lithuanians missed just two of their 21 free throws in contrast to Nigeria's mediocre 69 percent from the charity stripe.

Neither Lithuania nor Nigeria are favored to advance past group play, but they each have a win to their credit. Lithuania will look to make it two against France on Thursday, and Nigeria will have its toughest game against Team USA.

France vs. Argentina, 3 p.m.

Result: France 71, Argentina 64

France entered this game with an Olympic record of 0-4 vs. Argentina, but came away with a surprise win in a game that featured 10 NBA players.  Tony Parker led the way for his French teammates showing his ability to get to the free throw line as he drew seven fouls against the Argentinians on his way to 17 points. 

The seven point victory Parker enjoyed over his long-time San Antonio Spurs teammate Manu Ginobili who finished with an Argentina high 26 points of his own.  Nicolas Batum and Kevin Seraphin were two of the five Frenchmen that managed double-digit points and helped France overcome it's drought against Argentina.

Tunisia vs. United States, 5:15 p.m.

Result: United States 110, Tunisia 63

The United States of America coasted to an impressive win over Tunisia on Tuesday.  The Americans settled into a nice 13 point lead at the half, but it was a 39-14 third quarter that really made this one laughable. 

The United States opened the second half with Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Andre Iguodala and Carmelo Anthony who can be credited with the 21-3 run that put Tunisia away for good.

In all actuality, the 13 point deficit at the half was fairly impressive for Tunisia as this is their first year competing in Olympic basketball.  After losing to Nigeria in a close one previously, the Tunisian newcomers took their first ever lead in any game against the American favorites. 

A nice story, but the end result was as expected and the Americans look on to the next challenge.

Group B (All Times Eastern)

China vs. Russia, 4 a.m.

Result: Russia 73, China 54

Russia continued its impressive start to pool play as it advanced to 2-0 with a victory over China, which is now 0-2 and in dire straits in Group B. China was able to hang around against Spain in its first game, but the result against Russia was never in doubt as the Chinese squad couldn't muster anything on the offensive end.

The Russians received offensive production throughout the lineup, however, and were led by newly-signed Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrei Kirilenko, who racked up 16 points and nine rebounds after dropping 35 points in Russia's opening contest. Alexey Shved and Sasha Kaun added 14 and 13 points respectively for the Group B-leading Russians.

China's lack of depth was exposed in a big way as flag bearer Yi Jianlian was the only Chinese player to score in double figures with 16 points and seven boards. It was proven that life after Yao Ming is no picnic for the Chinese as Russia's stout frontcourt easily won the rebound battle 46-29.

Russia will put its undefeated record on the line against a tough Brazilian team on Thursday, while China will look to get on track against Australia.

Australia vs. Spain, 6:15 a.m.

Result: Spain 82, Australia 70

Spain entered its second Olympic game against Australia as a heavy favorite, and although the Aussies only lost by 12, the score isn't indicative of how thoroughly La Roja outplayed its opponents. Spain wasn't as convincing as many expected in its first game against China, but the biggest challengers to Team USA righted the ship on Tuesday.

The Spaniards used their ample size to dispose of Australia as Pau and Marc Gasol combined for 32 points and crashed the boards as well. With star center Andrew Bogut unable to compete in the Olympics due to an injury, the Aussies simply couldn't deal with Spain's incredible interior trio of the Gasols and Serge Ibaka, and they were out-rebounded 56-39 by virtue of that.

Guard Rudy Fernandez also kicked in 17 points for Spain's diverse offensive attack. The Aussies were led by 12-point efforts from both Brad Newley and Joe Ingles, but it wasn't enough. Spain used dominant second and third quarters to pull away, and Australia was never a threat despite a strong closing frame.

Spain will try to continue to assert its Group B dominance against host Great Britain on Thursday, while Australia will attempt to pick up its first win of group play against China.

Great Britain vs. Brazil, 11:45 a.m.

Result: Brazil 67, Great Britain 62

Host nation Great Britain put up a great fight despite being a heavy underdog against Brazil, but the South American squad was able to come out on top in a tight game, 67-62. Brazil scored a mere four points in the first quarter and looked to be in trouble, but Canarinho was able to outscore the Brits in each of the next three frames to pick up the victory.

Neither Anderson Varejao nor Nene were particularly impressive for Brazil, but less-heralded interior presence Tiago Splitter picked up the slack with 21 points and six rebounds. Brazil's perimeter shooting was particularly troublesome as it hit on just three of 22 long-range shots. The Brazilians made up for it with stellar pressure defense, though, which forced Team GB to commit 19 turnovers.

Nobody could get in a rhythm offensively for the Brits with Pops Mensah-Bonsu leading the way with 13 points, and star Luol Deng contributing 12 points. Great Britain was more efficient from outside the arc, hit the boards harder and was better from the free-throw line, but careless turnovers did the host team in.

Brazil will battle another undefeated team in Russia on Thursday, while Great Britain could, for all intents and purposes, be eliminated by a far better Spain squad.

Schedule and Results: Thursday, August 2

Group A (All Times Eastern)

France vs. Lithuania, 4 a.m.

Result: France 82, Lithuania 74

France surged to the top of Group A on Day 6 with an 82-74 victory over Lithuania. Their stay at the top is likely to be short lived with the United States drawing Nigeria for later in the day, but the Frenchmen built on the momentum they gained with a big win against Argentina two days earlier.

Point guard Tony Parker had his best game of the young tournament as he poured in 27 points in the win. His strong effort was bolstered by 21 points from forward Nicolas Batum and a great all-around performance from forward Boris Diaw, who put up a line of 10 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Martynas Pocius led Lithuania in scoring with 18 points, while Linas Kleiza was the only other double-digit scorer with 17. The Lithuanians were hurt by France's 50 percent effort from beyond the arc, as well as foul trouble, which allowed the French to get to the line nine more times than Lithuania.

France figures to have its easiest game of the tournament when it takes on Tunisia in two days, but Lithuania will have its toughest against the United States.

Argentina vs. Tunisia, 9:30 a.m.

Result: Argentina 92, Tunisia 69

The score may seem to indicate that Argentina had no trouble with the underdog Tunisian team, but the South American squad was certainly on the ropes for a while. Tunisia stormed out to a 14-point lead after one quarter of play, however, Argentina was able to tie it up by half time and outscore Tunisia by 23 in the second half.

Argentina received great performances from its NBA stars as Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola and Carlos Delfino all score over 20 points. The Argentinians were without injured point guard Pablo Prignoni, and that clearly hurt their offensive sets early on, but Ginobili eventually took control and led his team to a much-needed win.

Tunisia was led by Salah Mejri's 19 points as well as 16 more from Mourad El Mabrouk. The African team shot 39 percent from long range, and while that allowed them to stick with Argentina for a while, they wasted too many possessions and turned the ball over 15 times while dishing out merely 15 assists.

After escaping with a win, Argentina will face another African test against Nigeria on Saturday, and Tunisia will be desperate for a win against France.

United States vs. Nigeria, 5:15 p.m.

Result: United States 156, Nigeria 73

As the score indicates all in itself, this was a special night for the Americans.  It was in fact a record-breaking performance. 

Carmelo Anthony lead the way with 37 points which set the individual Olympic record for points in a game and he did so in less than three quarters.  The 156 points also set the Olympic record for team points in a game and in doing so the Americans set the record for points in a half with 78.

The Nigerians were Olympic rookies in basketball, but they did have 10 players who played collegiate basketball in the United States and two players with NBA experience in Ike Diogu and Amino Al-Farouq.  It was clear early on, though, that the Nigerians were well out of their league in this one.

Every player on the United States team chipped in with at least a bucket and six scored in double figures, of course highlighted by Anthony's 37.

Group B (All Times Eastern)

Australia vs. China, 6:15 a.m.

Result: Australia 81, China 61

In a game that featured two teams in search of their first win of the tournament, Australia thoroughly dominated China en route to an 81-61 victory. The Aussies trailed by one after the the first quarter of play, but they took control in the second quarter and never looked back as a hapless Chinese team never posed much of a threat.

Australia was led by Patty Mills' 20 points and 17 more from David Andersen. The scoreboard is a fair representation of how thing played out in the game as Australia's pressure defense stifled the Chinese, resulting in 19 turnovers and a 29 percent field-goal percentage for China inside the three-point arc. The Aussies also killed China on the boards with a positive margin of 15 rebounds.

China put in a valiant effort as it always does and was paced by 21 points from Wang Shipeng, as well as 13 from Yi Jianlian. China's offensive efficiency was terrible although it did manage to make nine of its 17 three pointers, and that is the only thing that kept the Chinese within shouting distance.

Australia will have another winnable game on Saturday against host Great Britain, while China will likely have trouble with a very tough Brazilian squad.

Brazil vs. Russia, 11:45 a.m. 

Result: Russia 75, Brazil 74

In what was unquestionably the most exciting men's basketball game of the Olympics thus far, Russia clipped Brazil 75-74 by virtue of a buzzer-beating three pointer from guard Vitaliy Fridzon. While Fridzon made only two baskets the entire game, he made the last one count as it was desperation time for the Russians, who now lead Group B with a perfect 3-0 mark and six points.

The Brazilians may have thought they had the game sealed when point guard Marcelinho Huertas made a late two pointer with six seconds remaining. That put the South Americans up by two, but Russia had a miracle in its back pocket.

The game was close and exciting throughout as the Russians' big guns came to play with 54 combined points between Andrei Kirilenko, Timofey Mozgov and Alexey Shved. Brazil's offensive production was spread throughout the lineup, but guard Leandro Barbosa led the way with 16 points.

Brazil still has a great chance to advance to the knockout stage, but it must take care of business in its next game against winless China. Russia is in fantastic position after the win as well, and it will have a chance to take a stranglehold on Group B if it can upend Spain on Saturday.

Spain vs. Great Britain, 3 p.m.

Result: Spain 79, Great Britain 78

Spain held on to a frantic comeback by Great Britain who closed a six-point gap with 39 seconds left to get within one with 7.2 seconds left.

It was Spain, behind Jose Calderon, who out-ran and outlasted Great Britain in the end.  Calderon finished with a team-high 19 points, eight of which came in the crucial final 44 seconds.  It was fitting that Calderon also out-ran the British defenders in the final seven seconds, avoiding their attempts at a foul to prolong their comeback bid.

Paul Gasol scored 17 points and teammate Marc Gasol also chipped in 12 for the Spanish.  The star of the game for the now-winless British was Luol Deng who scored 26 points including the three-pointer that pulled Great Britain within one in the waning seconds.

Schedule and Results: Saturday, August 4

Group A (All Times Eastern)

Tunisia vs. France, 4:00 a.m.

Result: France 73, Tunisia 69

Tony Parker continued his Olympic dominance with another 22 points in France's hard-fought victory over winless Tunisia.  Nicolas Batum added 19 points and  France has now won three straight games after their Olympic opener where they fell to the United States.

Tunisia, in their first go-round in Olympic basketball, made a decent run at France behind a 20-point effort from Mohamed Hadidane and another 17 points from Makram Ben Romdhane. 

France will finish Group A play with Nigeria while Tunisia will get one last shot at a victory against Lithuania.

Lithuania vs. United States, 9:30 a.m.

Result: United States 99, Lithuania 94

The United States caught quite a scare from Lithuania just days after scorching Nigeria to the tune of an 83-point dismantling en route to a number or Olympic records.   

This time around Team USA found themselves trailing Lithuania with as little as 5:51 remaining in the game.  Lithuania out-shot the American's from the field, beyond the arc and from the free-throw line. 

Despite the uninspiring shooting performance by the United States they did manage to collect 17 steals from Lithuania and most importantly to them, they found a way to gut out a win and move to 4-0 in their Group.

Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony each tallied 20 points to hold off Linas Kleiza's 25 and the rest of Lithuania's squad who shot a combined 58% from the field. 

Nigeria vs. Argentina, 5:15 p.m.

Result: Argentina 93, Nigeria 79

Argentina's delivery from three-point was simply unconscionable, and far too much for Nigeria to handle.

The team was 11-for-18 from distance and cashed in 21 of their 41 two-point attempts. Andres Nocioni led the way with four three-point makes, while Ginobili and Delfino combined for three on the night.

Nigeria's Ike Diogu was the player of the game for Nigeria after posting a team-high 16 points, six rebounds and drawing nine fouls in the loss. Not to mention, five of his six rebounds came on the offensive end.

Team Nigeria is now likely down and out, as they finish their group play against a far superior France squad. Meanwhile, Argentina will square off against Team USA in what is easily the most anticipated matchup of the tournament. The last time the two met, Argentina lost by just six points.

Group B (All Times Eastern)

Russia vs. Spain, 11:15 a.m.

Result:  Russia 77, Spain 74

Russia held on to a nail-biter over Spain with a 77-74 win that came right down to final second free throws.  Olympic competitiveness at it's best saw Russia come back from opening the game with a 20-2 deficit. 

Spain slowly gave way and eventually let Russia take a 56-53 halftime lead.  That wasn't the end of it, though.  Spain surged to another nine-point lead in the second half behind solid post play by Pau Gasol, yet again.

In the end Vitaliy Fridzon and the Russians were too much as Fridzon poured in a team-high 24 points and Russia made timely three-pointers throughout the course of the game. 

Spanish star Pau Gasol had a chance to tie the game with 5.3 seconds left, but sealed Spain's fate by missing the first of two free-throws.

China vs. Brazil, 4:45 p.m.

Result: Brazil 98, China 59

Brazil ups its 2012 Olympic record to 3-1 and ties Spain in Group B with seven points after dropping China in dominant fashion.  China is now 0-4 and is running out of chances to salvage a win in the 2012 games.

Brazil was lead by five players in double digits and no one played more than 22 minutes.  It was over early and they got everyone a good bit of valuable Olympic action.  Their most visible players to NBA fans did well in this one as Anderson Varejao finished with nine points and 13 rebounds, five of which were on the offensive glass and Leandro Barbosa scored 13 points.

Brazil's only blemish thus far was a one-point loss to surging Russia.  Their final matchup in Group B will be against Spain with the winner taking second-place in Group B behind undefeated Russia.

Great Britain vs. Australia, 8:00 p.m. 

Result: Australia 106, Great Britain 75

In one of the odder games in these Olympic Games, the host team was outright dismantled in the fourth quarter after holding strong through three quarters.

A 16-point effort from Joel Freeland had his Great Britain team in contention through earlier stages of the game. At the end of the third quarter, Australia held a six-point lead. Following a 40-15 routing of Great Britain in the fourth, it turned out to be a 31-point loss.

Australia was led by one of the more prolific scoring efforts by any player we have seen this tournament. Patrick Mills posted 39 points in 29 minutes to lead the Team Australia to the win. He was 14-for-22 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

Talk about some impressive stuff from the host nation's star.

Great Britain will finish off group play against China, while Australia are faced with a critical game against Russia.

Schedule and Results: Monday, August 6

Group A (All Times Eastern)

Tunisia vs. Lithuania, 6:15 a.m.

Result: Lithuania 76, Tunisia 63

After a hard fought game against Team USA, the Lithuanians have taken that moral victory and ran with it. Lucky for them, they faced Tunisia before the elimination games began to further build confidence.

With the win, Lithuania will go on to play Russia in Group A’s biggest matchup and Tunisia has been eliminated with no wins. It was still a good effort, though.

France vs. Nigeria, 9:30 a.m.

Result: France 79, Nigeria 73

Whether you believe it was the French team being that mediocre or Nigeria rebounding from a disgraceful showing against the USA, this game was much closer than anyone expected it to be.

If it wasn’t for France’s Nicolas Batum scoring 23 points, the team would have lost the game in one of the biggest upsets in basketball history. That can’t be good for confidence.

While Nigeria will miss the elimination round, Team France can finish no worse than third in their group.

Argentina vs. United States, 5:15 p.m.

Result: United States 126, Argentina 97

Argentina gave Team USA some trouble in the first half and was within one when the halftime buzzer sounded, but a third-quarter surge from the Americans squashed all chances of Argentina pulling off the upset.

Kevin Durant put on a shooting clinic, going 8-of-10 from behind the arc en route to pouring in 28 points to lead Coach K's squad.

Manu Ginobili led the way for Argentina with 16 points in 25 minutes of court time. He spent much of the game on the bench once the outcome was no longer in doubt.

The Americans move on to play Australia in the elimination round, while Brazil will oppose Argentina.

Group B (All Times Eastern)

Australia vs. Russia, 4:00 a.m.

Result: Australia 82, Russia 80

Team Australia has become one of the most exciting teams to watch in the men’s basketball tournament, playing close games every time. The game against the Russians was no different.

With time expiring, Australian star Patrick Mills launched a three-point shot that went in and gave the team a huge victory. Russia played well enough to win, but they left the door open just enough to lose in heartbreaking fashion. 

Australia (3-2) locked up fourth in Group a, while Group B had been won by Russia (4-1) before this game.

Great Britain vs. China, 11:45 a.m.

Result: Great Britain 90, China 58

Great Britain finally got its first win at the 2012 London Olympics, and it came in impressive fashion against China.

Kieron Achara led the way for the British side, scoring 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Captain Luol Deng was largely irrelevant in this one, shooting just 3-of-11 from the field en route to scoring just six points.

China is one of two teams (Tunisia) to leave group play winless. Yi Jianlian posted a double-double for the Chinese with 10 points and 11 boards. This surely wasn't the result that this team had expected to find in London.

Spain vs. Brazil, 3:00 p.m.

Result: Brazil 88, Spain 82

Spain was unable to finish out a close game against Brazil despite 45 combined points from Pau (25) and Marc Gasol (20). The Spaniards had an 11-point lead at one time, but collapsed in the fourth quarter and were outscored by 15 points.

Leandro Barbosa led the way for the Brazilians with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting in 27 minutes of playing time. Marcelinho Huertas continued to impress with his passing skills, racking up six helpers and just one turnover.

Brazil finishes tied with Russia atop Group B, while Spain is now tied with Australia for the second-most points.