FIBA Basketball

    TURKEY BOUND – Big nights for Team USA’s Anthony, Billups but Nuggets fall

    NEW YORK (2010 FIBA World Championship) – Team USA’s Carmelo Anthony poured in 36 points but it wasn’t enough for Denver on Tuesday as they suffered a costly 109-104 defeat at the New York Knicks. Anthony was 14 of 26 from the floor and eight of eight at the line but the Nuggets slumped to a second straight loss. Chauncey Billups, ...

    NEW YORK (2010 FIBA World Championship) – Team USA’s Carmelo Anthony poured in 36 points but it wasn’t enough for Denver on Tuesday as they suffered a costly 109-104 defeat at the New York Knicks.

    Anthony was 14 of 26 from the floor and eight of eight at the line but the Nuggets slumped to a second straight loss.

    Chauncey Billups, the Nuggets guard who was named in the USA Basketball national team squad for 2010-12, had 25 points and six assists.

    "I think this is probably our most disappointing loss this season because it just means so much," he said.

    The setback allowed Dallas, winners over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, to join them at 47-24 in the Western Conference standings.

    Anthony and Billups will be contending for sports in the USA squad for this summer's FIBA World Championship.

    Another player who could be in Turkey, Brazil's Nene, had 10 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and a steal for Denver.

    Knicks center David Lee had 16 rebounds to go with his 12 points.

    Lee is in the USA national team squad.

    In Dallas, a couple of players that Germany fans want to don the national team jersey this summer - Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman - were in action.

    Nowitzki made eight of 11 shots from the floor on his way to 18 points as the Mavs beat Kaman's Clippers 106-96.

    Kaman finished with 22 points and nine rebounds.

    Other internationals that could be Turkey bound were in action on Tuesday evening.

    Spain

    • Juan Carlos Navarro - The national team captain finished with 11 points, which included a nine-of-10 effort at the free-throw line, in Barcelona's 68-61 victory over Real Madrid in Game One of their best-of-five Euroleague Quarter-Final.
    • Ricky Rubio - The Barca point guard had seven points in the triumph over Madrid. Rubio made one of four shots from long range and three of seven overall. He had three assists and two steals but turned the ball over four times.
    • Fran Vazquez - The Spain national team hopeful had five points and three rebounds for Barcelona.
    • Felipe Reyes - The Madrid big man ended up with eight points, seven boards and two steals.
    • Sergio Llull - The Real guard had nine points in the defeat to Barca.
    • Jorge Garbajosa - The Real Madrid forward scored eight points on three of five shooting against Barcelona.


    Slovenia

    • Erazem Lorbek - An all-tournament team selection at EuroBasket 2009, Lorbek had six points and five rebounds for Barcelona.
    • Jaka Lakovic - The Barca point guard missed all three of his shots from the floor and failed to score in less than seven minutes of action for Barcelona.


    Lithuania

    • Linas Kleiza - The former Nugget had 26 points for Olympiacos in their 83-79 win over Asseco Prokom in the Euroleague Quarter-Finals.
    • Darjus Lavrinovic - The big man finished with 14 points and eight rebounds for Madrid in their defeat to Barcelona.


    Serbia

    • Milos Teodosic - The Blues’ national team point guard who made the all-tournament team at last year's EuroBasket in Poland, Teodosic poured in 21 points for Olympiacos in their triumph over Prokom.
    • Novica Velickovic - The Madrid man did not play for Real Madrid.
    • Dusan Kecman - Left out of last year's EuroBasket squad, Kecman showed he's an awesome player by scoring a game-high 29 points for Partizan Belgrade as they hit back from a eight-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to win 85-77 at Maccabi Tel Aviv in the opening game of the Euroleague Quarter-Final.


    Australia

    • Aleks Maric - The Boomers big man finished with 10 points, three boards and two assists for Partizan. He struggled at the line, making just six of 10 free-throws.


    Russia

    • Andrey Vorontsevich - Someone who may be a key man for Russia this summer, Vorontsevich had a game-high 15 points for CSKA Moscow in their 86-63 Euroleague Quarter-Final Game One triumph over Caja Laboral.
    • Viktor Khryapa - The Russia forward had 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals for CSKA.
    • Sasha Kaun - The national team hopeful scored 10 points and grabbed two boards for CSKA.


    Brazil

    • Marcelo Huertas - The Caja Laboral point guard made all three of his shots from the floor to finish with seven points and also handed out three assists against CSKA. However, he turned the ball over four times.
    • Tiago Splitter - The Brazil center scored 10 points but hauled in just three rebounds for Caja Laboral.


    Canada

    • Carl English - The Caja Laboral sharpshooter had eight points in the defeat to CSKA.


    Croatia

    • Ante Tomic - The Real Madrid center scored six points and grabbed three boards in his team's loss to Barcelona.
    • Zoran Planinic - The CSKA Moscow point guard had seven assists, seven rebounds and two steals to go with his six points against Caja Laboral.


    Argentina

    • Pablo Prigioni - The national team playmaker had eight assists and two steals to go with his two points for Madrid.


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