Olympic Basketball 2016: Preview, TV Schedule and Live Stream for Day 6
One traditional basketball power is already in trouble, as Spain has unexpectedly opened the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro with back-to-back losses to Croatia and Brazil.
Host country Brazil, meanwhile, helped itself with a win over Spain on Tuesday, but it now faces a stiff test against an up-and-coming Croatia team.
A complete schedule of Thursday's action can be found below.
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| Men | ||||
| B | 1:15 p.m. ET | Brazil | Croatia | USA |
| B | 6 p.m. ET | Nigeria | Spain | |
| B | 9:30 p.m. ET | Lithuania | Argentina | |
| Women | ||||
| A | 11:15 a.m. ET | Belarus | Turkey | |
| A | 2:30 p.m. ET | France | Brazil | |
| A | 4:45 p.m. ET | Japan | Australia |
Full group listings and standings, as well as live streams of all the games, can be found at NBCOlympics.com.
Desperation for Spain
Spain's winning the silver and being Team USA's only potential challenge in Rio was almost a given before games started last week. But at 0-2, the path to the podium will be tough.
Thursday's matchup against Nigeria, which has been outscored by 37 points over two games, should finally get Spain into the win column, but Spain will be looking up in the standings at Argentina, Lithuania and one of Brazil or Croatia.
"I would call it challenging," Spanish coach Sergio Scariolo said, per the Associated Press (via the Chicago Tribune). "Challenging, not bad because this is not bad until you're out, and we are still very in. For how our training camp went, it shows that we miss some fluidity in our offensive game. Our shooting percentages have been so far really low, even free throws tonight. Which is not usual."
Finding rhythm and improving on those shooting percentages should be manageable against Nigeria—a team that will struggle to stay with the Spanish guards on the perimeter.
Can Host Country Brazil Maintain Momentum?
Brazil entered the tournament as one of the more talented teams, boasting five NBA players, but the medal stand was far from a given.
After beating Spain, though, a berth to the knockout round is clearer. Dropping this tilt against Croatia would once again blur things, and it could happen.
Croatia beat Spain as well and boasts the tournament's third-leading scorer in Bojan Bogdanovic (20.5 points). Budding point forward Dario Saric is averaging 12.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists.
Brazil will need to slow those two down and count on another spirited showing from the home crowd to move up in the standings.
Australia's Women Should Continue to Roll
On the women's side, Team USA has understandably received most of the attention, but Australia has one of the tournament's most productive individual players.
Liz Cambage is averaging 19.3 points and 10.7 rebounds in just 22.4 minutes per game. She's the primary reason the Aussies are 3-0, and another big game from Cambage should keep them undefeated.
Also in action Thursday will be Turkey's LaToya Sanders, who leads the tournament in scoring at 21.7 points per game. Her scoring hasn't translated into team success, though, as Turkey is 1-2. A loss to Belarus would put Turkey in serious danger of not making the knockout round.
Host country Brazil, which has yet to win a game, is also on the schedule. Someone in addition to Iziane Castro and Damiris Dantas, who are both averaging 17 points, will need to perform well to give the home crowd the win it craves.
Will Argentina's Resurgence Continue?
This was supposed to be the last ride for an aging Argentina squad that won Olympic gold in 2004, and the ride's going much smoother than expected.
Argentina is 2-0 and has Group B's best point differential. Luis Scola, 36, is averaging 20.5 points and nine rebounds. Five other Argentines, including Manu Ginobili, are averaging double figures.
That's a balanced attack that will be difficult for Lithuania to contain, though it may have the big men inside to make it possible. Jonas Valanciunas and Domantas Sabonis aren't known as great rim protectors, but they move well and can clog the paint. Their defense against Scola will be critical.
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