US leads all the way in 87-59 win over Greece, final tuneup game ahead of world championship

US beats Greece 87-59 in exhibition game

ATHENS, Greece — Eric Gordon scored 18 points and the United States defeated Greece 87-59 on Wednesday in their final tuneup before the world championships.

Missing all of the stars from the team that won Olympic gold two years ago, the U.S. team turned to youthful exuberance against Greece. Their quickness on defense resulted in 24 turnovers, helping the U.S. build a 42-32 lead by halftime.

The Americans then went on a 28-12 run in the third quarter to put the game away.

Forward Costas Tsartsaris scored 17 of his team-high 24 points in the first half for Greece, which was playing less than a week after a bench-clearing brawl in a game against Serbia.

The world championships begin Saturday in Turkey.