Spain vs. Argentina: Score and Reaction from 2016 Olympic Men's Basketball

The stakes couldn't have been higher for Spain's men's basketball team in Monday's Group B showdown against Argentina at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and the Spaniards delivered in impressive fashion with a 92-73 victory.

Rudy Fernandez led the way with 23 points and seven rebounds behind 8-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range. Pau Gasol provided veteran leadership down low for Spain with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Nikola Mirotic added 10 points.

Nicolas Laprovittola and Manu Ginobili spearheaded the offensive effort for Argentina. Laprovittola scored a team-high 21 points thanks to 10 made free throws, while Ginobili was the primary source of offense until he watched crunch time from the bench. The San Antonio Spurs guard scored 16 points and connected on six of 11 shots from the field and four of six shots from long range.

The two teams combined for 32 turnovers and 47 free-throw attempts, but Spain was in control throughout the occasionally ugly contest.

Brazil beat Nigeria earlier Monday, which made this a must-win game for Spain to advance, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Spain won silver in each of the last two Olympics, but it was 2-2 coming into its final Group B contest of the Rio Games and was in danger of a shocking and disappointing finish.

As for Argentina, it already had enough points to advance to the bracket stage, but it entered Monday's game with a chance to win the group. Zillgitt noted an Argentina victory paired with a Croatia win over Lithuania would have given Ginobili's squad the No. 1 seed from Group B.

Spain responded in admirable fashion with its Olympic chances hanging in the balance. While it fell behind 8-0 to start the game, it quickly bounced back and stormed to a 25-15 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Spaniards ripped off a 14-0 run when they were trailing 11-8 and then found themselves ahead 22-11 and in control of the pace.

Michael Gallagher of Yahoo Sports thanked Fernandez for the spurt, and the small forward extended the Argentina defense with his hot shooting from long range. 

Argentina slowed the momentum in the second quarter, but Spain still took a commanding 48-35 lead into the locker room. Fernandez had 13 points in the first half, while Mirotic had 10. The two combined for five made three-pointers as Spain shot a blistering 7-of-13 from long range in the opening 20 minutes. 

Ginobili kept Argentina in the game with 13 early points, and Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press noted he was a concern for Spain as the latter closed in on a spot in the quarterfinals:

While Ginobili kept Argentina afloat in the early going, he didn't have enough support from his teammates, outside of Laprovittola, to keep up with Spain in the third quarter. After a Gasol dunk, Spain extended its lead to 62-40 with less than six minutes until the fourth.

It appeared clear Spain was going to win, and each team started to get sloppy with turnovers and fouling issues. Eric Freeman of Yahoo Sports reacted to the developments:

However, things took a worrisome turn for Spain when Juan Carlos Navarro was ejected after committing his second technical foul of the game. Argentina closed to within 63-50 in the immediate aftermath and was within striking distance at 71-57 through three quarters.

Argentina instituted some full-court pressure in the fourth and trimmed the deficit to 75-64, but Gasol and Jose Calderon hit jumpers to push it to 79-64 with nearly five minutes left. Argentina had Ginobili on the bench down the stretch, and Andrew Sharp of Sports Illustrated realized the game had a direct impact on its rival, Brazil:

"

Spain looks awesome right now. Also, Brazil's eliminated if Argentina loses, so you will never convince me they're going 100 percent tonight

— Andrew Sharp (@andrewsharp) August 15, 2016"

Without its primary playmaker on the floor, Argentina couldn't match Spain's offensive efforts. Spain quickly pulled away and extended its advantage to more than 20 points before finishing off the 92-73 victory. 

What's Next?

Group play is over, which means Argentina and Spain are both set to play in the bracket portion of the tournament. The United States is the gold-medal favorite after winning at the 2012 and 2008 Games, but it was challenged in three closer-than-expected contests in group play: a 10-point win over Australia and three-point wins over Serbia and France.

The Americans appear to be vulnerable, like they were in 2004, when they won the bronze medal as Argentina captured gold.

Spain struggled in the early going of this tournament but appears to be primed to challenge for another medal after its easy victory over a quality Argentina squad. Both Spain and Argentina feature NBA players who are familiar with competing against the likes of Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and the rest of the United States and will not be intimidated with medals on the line.

It will take a strong effort to beat the Americans, but Spain proved it can win with its back against the wall Monday.

Postgame Reaction

Spain coach Sergio Scariolo commented on his team’s turnaround after the early two losses, per the Associated Press, via USA Today:

"

We had a distracting situation during our training camp and many players missed many, many practices. We couldn't really get 100 percent prepared and it showed.

We have been in this situation before. We know how to play under pressure. There are a lot of players who know what it takes to win, especially with a lot of self-confidence. We know each other really well. .... We're not a team (that will) get crushed after the second loss.

"

Ginobili discussed the difference between the two teams on Monday, per the Associated Press:

"

We were lacking a little bit of juice after the tough, tough game against Brazil. And to add, they're a great team. They're a great team that started the tournament struggling, losing two games they shouldn't have lost. So they ended up needing this game a lot. They wanted it more. They were more aggressive and they played sharper than us.

We wanted to win, too. It's not that we didn't care.

"

Next up for Spain is a showdown with France in the bracket stage of the tournament. Spain beat France in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Games but lost to the French in the 2014 World Cup. Spain won the matchup in the EuroBasket last year.

Calderon talked about the upcoming game, per the Associated Press: “Every matchup is so close and we know each other too good. So, let's see what happens in two days. I think we're ready for that fight, I think that they're ready as well and we'll see.”

If Spain plays like it did against Argentina, it has the chance to hand France a loss in another marquee contest.