US NBA stars rewrite record book to rout Nigeria

LONDON (AFP) - The United States team of NBA stars shattered a host of records, including most points in a single Olympic men's basketball game, by defeating Nigeria 156-73 on Thursday in a preliminary round game.

Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 37 points on 10-of-12 shooting from 3-point range, all of those figures setting US Olympic team records.

The old Olympic record for points by a team in one game was set by Brazil in 1988 at Seoul in a 138-85 preliminary round triumph over Egypt. Brazilians also had the prior mark from a 137-64 victory over India in 1980 at Moscow.

The Americans also eclipsed their own Olympic team record for points in a game, set in a 133-70 victory over China in 1996 at Atlanta.

Andre Iguodala sank the record-breaking 3-pointer with 4:36 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the US squad 139 points before the multi-millionaire lineup added another 17 points to the record total.

The old mark for points in an Olympic game by a US player was 31 by Stephon Marbury against Spain in 2004.

The US team improved to 3-0, all-but clinching a Group A berth in the medal playoff round. That formality is expected to come on Saturday when the Americans face Lithuania.

Nigeria fell to 1-2, drawing even with Lithuania for the last Group A playoff position.

The US squad also broke its Olympic team record for 3-point baskets by shooting 29-of-46 from beyond the arc.

The old US team Olympic mark of 13 3-pointers in a game was established against Spain in the 2008 Olympic final at Beijing. It fell on a 3-pointer by Deron Williams with 1:35 remaining in the second quarter.