Quarters lineup set in basketball

RIO DE JANEIRO — The US’s NBA stars will face Argentina’s ageing but still scrappy “golden generation” in a compelling grudge match in the Rio Games basketball knockout phase. Spain will play European rival France in another key quarterfinal clash Wednesday as the Olympic tournament’s win-or-go-home match-ups fell into place. In the other quarterfinals, Australia meets Lithuania while Croatia and Serbia battle in a Balkan showdown. The brackets were set late Monday with the final Group B games, including Spain’s crunch 90-82 victory over Argentina. A loss would have sent Spain, the two-time silver medalists, on an unexpectedly early trip home, while Argentina sought a win to avoid facing the high-powered Americans. Like Spain, Croatia entered Monday facing possible elimination in tightly bunched Group B. But the day’s results, including Croatia’s 90-81 victory over Lithuania, allowed it to win the group and face Group A fourth-placer Serbia. Argentina is the last team to have beaten the USA in Olympic competition, in the Athens 2004 semifinal en route to the South American country’s only basketball gold. It was the only time the Americans have been denied gold since NBA pros were allowed to represent the States beginning in 1992, and it still smarts with Team USA. Argentina battled into the Rio quarters led by four veterans from that “golden generation” squad, including four-time NBA champ Manu Ginobili of the San Antonia Spurs. “I feel very fortunate to be here at 39 (years old). We’re going to try and play our best basketball possible, no matter who we play,” Ginobili said. It will be an enticing match-up of battle-hardened Olympic veterans — buoyed by boisterous Argentina fans — against an explosive young American team seeking a third straight gold. The Americans triggered questions after winning by increasingly narrow margins in the groups, but they went 5-0 and are yet to display their full firepower. Spain reached the gold-medal match against the US in the past two Olympics, but looked in trouble in Rio after losing its first two games. But it won its next two and on Monday pounced on Argentina with an early 22-3 run and never looked back. The result crushed tournament host Brazil’s hopes of advancing. Spain’s victory, however, puts it in the US’s bracket, and it will need to be giant-killer to make the final a third straight time. But Spain must first get by now-familiar France. The game will feature a number of current or former NBA players from both sides including team leaders and past NBA champions Pau Gasol, Spain’s center, and French point guard Tony Parker.