Spain poured in 26 points to their opponents’ 10 in the third quarter to establish an big lead, then eased home to a 82-70 victory over a resolute but undermanned Australian team.  Jose Calderon of the Raps had a quiet game, contributing 4 points (on 5 shot attempts), 3 assists, and 1 turnover in 21+ minutes of action. The Spaniards also got 20 points from Pau Gasol in only 18 minutes of PT, and 17 from the quick & skilled Rudy Fernandez.

The Australian attack was well-balanced, with Joe Ingles & Brad Newley contributed 12 points apiece. Patty Mills of the San Antonio Spurs chipped in 11, but had to be disappointed with missing all 5 of his 3-ball attempts. The Spaniards outboarded the Kangaroos 56-39, an insurmountable advantage, and had 5 blocked shots to the Aussies’ 2.

The Spaniards played all but 1 of their players, a wise decision in a tightly wound tournament like this. Having fresh legs when there are medals on the line is a godsend.

Next up for Spain is Great Britain, which is coming off a narrow loss to Brazil. I don’t think the Brits have the horses to contain the Spanish at either end of the floor, and Jose, the Gasol bros. et al should roll to a 20-point win.  The first real test for Spain will come against Russia on Saturday.

Brian Boake is a staff writer for Raptors Rapture. “Like” Raptors Rapture on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @RaptorsRapture for all the latest news and updates about the best damn NBA team from Canada.