Manu Ginobili got his fourth Olympics started with 12 points and an easy victory, as Argentina beat Nigeria 94-66 on Sunday in the final Olympic men’s basketball game of the night.
Facundo Campazzo led Argentina with 19 points, while flag bearer Luis Scola had 18 for the 2004 gold medalists. Patricio Garino finished with 15 in front of crowd filled with flag-waving Argentina fans who sang and chanted for much of the night.
After tight finishes in the first two games of the day, this one wasn’t close in the second half thanks to a balanced scoring effort by Argentina, which put five players in double figures. Andres Nocioni chipped in 10 points.
Ike Diogu scored 15 for Nigeria, the African champion.
It was a good way for Argentina to open their campaign. They will face a first real test on Tuesday when they take on Croatia, who are fresh off their surprise win over two-time silver medalists Spain. As for Nigeria, they next face Lithuania, who appeared vulnerable in the second half of their defeat of Brazil.
