GER/NZL - Nowitzki/Kaman one-two punch too much for Tall Blacks

ATHENS (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men) - Germany put paid to a gritty New Zealand on Wednesday night and provided plenty of evidence that one of the three spots for the Beijing Games could be theirs by the end of the week.

Dirk Nowitzki had 35 points, while new national team center Chris Kaman scored 20 in an 89-71 triumph to secure first place in Group B.

New Zealand will now have to take on the winners of Group A in the quarter-finals and that means a likely quarter-final showdown against tournament hosts Greece, who were hosting Brazil in Wednesday's last game.

The Germans will take on the losers of that contest.

New Zealand gave as good as they got for 15 minutes with five of eight shooting from three-point range in the first quarter allowing them to take a 26-23 lead.

They were never able to put any distance between themselves and the Germans, though, and the momentum started to swing midway through the second quarter when the score was knotted at 30-30.

With New Zealand big man Pero Cameron on the bench with three fouls, Nowitzki and Kaman took over.

The former hit a jumper inside the paint and then Kaman followed with two free throws and a tap-in.

Kirk Penney got open and buried a three-pointer, but the impressive Steffen Hamman drove into traffic for a lay-up and a 38-33 advantage with 2:56 to go in the half.

After Penney missed from outside, Nowitzki dribbled half the length of the court and dunked before Demond Greene made a pair from the stripe.

Kaman scored down low to take his tally to 13 and then Nowitzki's three-point play made it 47-33 at half-time.

The 14-point advantage was Germany's biggest of the game.

The Tall Blacks, as fearless a team as there is in the game, had strong start to the third quarter and had a chance to close the gap to nine before Kaman took over.

New Zealand's Craig Bradshaw, his team trailing 54-43, went baseline for a lay-up only for Kaman to rise and pin the ball against the backboard.

Seconds later and the seven-footer was catching a pass from Nowitzki and finishing a fast-break for lay-up and a 56-43 lead.

Germany still didn't pull away until the fourth quarter, outscoring Nenad Vucinic's team 20-3 for an 86-60 stranglehold on the game.

Nowitzki was 14 of 22 from the field, including three of six from long range.

Kaman made eight of his 12 shots from the floor.

Germany out-rebounded the shorter Tall Blacks 38-29.

New Zealand, who finished 10 of 29 from long range, got 29 points from Penney.

FIBA