Olympic Basketball 2016: Monday Results, Scores, Highlights and Reaction
The final men's basketball games in group play at Rio were scheduled for Monday, with three teams—Brazil, Spain and Croatia—all fighting for the last two spots into the knockout phase. Argentina and Lithuania, meanwhile, came into the day battling for positioning.
Below, we'll break down the day's scores and the implications on the Group B table.
Scores
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| Nigeria | 69-86 | Brazil |
| Spain | 92-73 | Argentina |
| Lithuania | 81-90 | Croatia |
Recap
Spain Beats Argentina, 92-73
Spain secured their place in the knockout phase and temporarily moved atop Group B with Monday's convincing 92-73 win over Argentina.
Rudy Fernandez (23 points, seven rebounds) and Pau Gasol (19 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks) led the Spaniards, who lost their first two games in these Olympics before recovering to win three straight.
They won't have an easy match in their next round, however, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today:
Nicolas Laprovittola led Argentina with 21 points, four assists and three steals, while Manu Ginobili pitched in 16 points and five rebounds.
Argentina opened the game on an 8-0 run, but that was the end of their control over the contest. Spain finished the quarter on a 25-7 run and outscored the Argentines in every quarter. After their rough start, the Spaniards have turned it on, as Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press noted:
It's worth remembering that both of Spain's losses came by a total of three points, so the Spaniards have been in every game. They certainly appear to be strong medal contenders again after their sluggish start, though a matchup against a very talented French side in the quarterfinals will be a major test.
Brazil Beats Nigeria 86-69
Brazil kept their Olympic hopes alive and ended Nigeria's tournament on Monday, beating the African side 86-69.
Five players scored 12 or more points for Brazil in a balanced effort, led by Nene's 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
That earned him the admiration of the home fans, per Michael Lee of The Vertical:
Marcelo Huertas added 12 points, 11 assists and six rebounds for Brazil, while Josh Akognon notched 16 points to lead Nigeria off the bench. Ben Uzoh added 15.
Nigeria led by one point after a close first quarter, though Brazil retook the lead and stretched it to 11 points by halftime. The Brazilians remained in control of the game for much of the second half, though Nigeria cut the deficit to just four points with 8:54 remaining in the fourth quarter on Akognon's three-pointer.
Brazil ran away with the game from there, going on a 25-12 run to close the game.
Spain's win later in the day knocked Brazil out of the tournament, however.
Croatia Beats Lithuania, 90-81
Croatia clinched first place in Group B on Monday with its 90-81 victory over Lithuania.
It shot an impressive 53.3 percent from the field and 57.9 percent from three-point range with 11 made shots from downtown and overwhelmed Lithuania on the offensive end. What’s more, Croatia enjoyed a 37-27 advantage on the boards.
It was a three-man show on offense for the victors, as Bojan Bogdanovic spearheaded the effort with 22 points, while Dario Saric added 18 points and Krunoslav Simon posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 boards.
Lithuania also received a double-double from Mantas Kalnietis. Despite the loss, Kalnietis impressed with 26 points and 11 assists as the primary offensive playmaker. Paulius Jankunas finished with 18 points in defeat.
Croatia overcame both a slow start and lackluster finish to win the game thanks to a strong showing in the second and third quarters. Lithuania outscored Croatia 47-28 in the first and fourth quarters combined, but Croatia built up a 62-34 advantage throughout the second and third quarters, which proved to be the difference.
According to FIBA, Croatia squares off with Serbia in the quarterfinals, while Lithuania faces Matthew Dellavedova and Australia.
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