Basketball: Argentina set for titanic Spain clash

SAITAMA, Japan - Argentina and Spain blasted their way to easy wins last night (NZ time) to set up a titanic semifinal clash at the world basketball championships.

Olympic champions Argentina crushed Turkey 83-58 while sharp-shooting Spain overpowered Lithuania 89-67 to reach the last four for the first time since 1982.

Spain beat Argentina twice in the run-up to the world championship in Japan but the mind games before Friday's semi-final began moments after the final buzzer.

"They are the favourites right now," Argentina coach Sergio Hernandez told reporters. "They didn't lose in preparation and we lost twice to them. We know Spain are a great team."

"Maybe it was better for us because they never had a game where they were tied in the last five minutes. I want to see what happens then."

Forward Andres Nocioni scored 21 points to spark Argentina's rout of Turkey while Carlos Delfino added 14 points and Luis Scola 13 for the 2004 Athens gold medallists.

Argentina and Spain have looked the teams most capable of challenging red-hot tournament favourites the US at the world championship in Japan.

"Spain and Argentina are the two best teams in the tournament, along with the 'Dream Team' (United States)," Nocioni told Reuters.

"The game with Spain will be unbelievable to play and to watch. We need to keep working hard on defence. That's the big key to winning this tournament."

Pau Gasol led the way with 25 points and Juan Carlos Navarro added 22 as Spain extended their win streak to 16 games.

Spain have never won an international title but showed they have the tools to do so with another impressive victory.

Spain blew the game open in a dominant first quarter capped by a spectacular reverse dunk by Rudy Fernandez off an alley-oop pass from Sergio Rodriguez.

Forward Darius Lavrinovic had a team-high 17 points for three-times Olympic bronze medallists Lithuania, who committed 28 turnovers.

"You can't afford to make 28 turnovers against such a good team as Spain and expect to get away with it," grumbled Lithuania coach Antanas Sireika.

Spain's best achievement to date was a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games. Argentina were beaten finalists at the last world championship in 2002 before winning gold in Athens.

Tournament favourites the US face Germany while European champions Greece take on France in Wednesday's quarterfinals in Saitama.

- REUTERS