LONDON — Spain stood tall early but sharp-shooting Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James helped the US team overcome a shaky start for a 100-78 win on Tuesday in a potential preview of the gold-medal game at the London Olympics.
The US team beat Spain in the gold medal game at the 2008 Beijing Games, but a rash of injuries to some of their tallest players has since raised concerns about how they would fare against a bigger Spanish squad.
Spain used their edge in height to their advantage in the first quarter of Tuesday’s game, opening up the floor with their passing and getting the ball down low to Serge Ibaka and Pau Gasol, who roamed the paint with impunity.
The home favourites ran off 10 consecutive points for a 10-3 lead to the delight of the Palau Sant Jordi crowd and pushed to a 22-13 advantage before Anthony and his teammates clawed their way back, cutting the margin to 23-21 by the end of the quarter.
Anthony, who came off the bench to score 10 points to slow the Spanish surge, continued his hot hand in the second quarter as the US team turned up the defensive pressure to force turnovers and find the New York Knicks forward for open shots.
The Americans expanded the lead to 14 points after three quarters before turning the game into a rout as both sides became content to hoist long jumpers and run out the clock. Anthony had a game-high 27 points, while James contributed 25 points.
