BARCELONA, Spain -- Madrid awaits. Spain doesnt. The gold-medal matchup seemingly everyone wanted in the Basketball World Cup -- maybe even some U.S. players -- wont be happening. The Spanish were upset in the quarterfinals, ending the predicted No. 1 vs. No. 2 game Sunday on Spains home court. "I think thats one of the reasons why we came over here, was to play them," U.S. guard Derrick Rose said. "Too bad were not playing them and hopefully we go out there in our next game and play hard and just know that were there for a reason." The Americans held up their end, moving within a victory of repeating as world champions for the first time with a 96-68 victory over Lithuania on Thursday night. James Harden scored all of his 16 points in the lopsided third quarter of a near carbon copy of the Americans quarterfinal victory over Slovenia, when he awoke from a scoreless first half to help turn a close game into a blowout. The Americans will face France or Serbia, believing either could provide the test that was expected from Spain. "Obviously theyre playing there for a reason," Harden said. "Were not going to take anyone lightly, which we havent thus far." They will arrive as even heavier favourites after Spains stunning loss to France on Wednesday. With their veteran experience and near misses against the U.S. in the last two Olympic gold-medal games, the Spanish were considered the team with the best chance -- perhaps the only one -- to beat the Americans. Harden was told that forward Kenneth Faried said hed wanted to play Spain. "Kenneths crazy," Harden said. Some U.S. players watched the game Wednesday, while others learned the result afterward. Talk of a U.S.-Spain final had lasted as long as the tournament, and though the Americans tried to ignore it, guard Stephen Curry acknowledged that was impossible. "I dont think were disappointed, or wished we played a certain team," Curry said. "Were happy to take care of our business." Their opponent will have to show it can hang with the Americans for more than a half, which nobody in Barcelona did. This one was an eight-point game at the break before the U.S. made 14 of 19 shots in the third quarter and outscored Lithuania 33-14. Kyrie Irving had 18 points and Klay Thompson added 16 for the Americans in a rematch of the 2010 world basketball championship semifinals, also played on Sept. 11, the date of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. in 2001. Kevin Durant scored a U.S.-record 38 points in that one, an 89-74 victory. That was a rare comfortable margin in this series where close games have been the norm. That includes the 2012 Olympics, where the Americans 99-94 win was their tightest in London. The physical play nearly turned ugly when DeMarcus Cousins reacted angrily after appearing to be elbowed in the neck by centre Jonas Valanciunas of the Toronto Raptors while battling for a rebound. He wound up as if he were going to punch Valanciunas in the back of the head, drawing a technical foul. The Americans then threw the knockout blow, coming out of the locker room with an 18-2 run -- emphasis on run, because they turned this semifinal game into a fast-break drill. That got Harden going. He had the first basket and a 3-pointer to cap a 10-0 start that made it 53-35 in less than 2 minutes. Anthony Davis slammed down a lob from Irving to make it 61-37. "Maybe we let them go," Valanciunas said. "They were really good in the third quarter." Valanciunas and Mindaugas Kuzminskas each scored 15 points for Lithuania, which will play Saturday for a chance at its second straight world bronze. Zach Allen Jersey . Riethers apparent stamp on Manchester United midfielder Adnan Januzaj during Saturdays Premier League match at Craven Cottage was missed by the match officials. A three-man panel of former referees reviewed the incident and all agreed that it was a sending-off offence. Pat Tillman Jersey . The United States clinched the final berth into the Ford Worlds, March 28-April 6 at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, on Saturday in Blaine, Minn. http://www.cheaparizonacardinalsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-kyler-murray-jersey . Charlottetown scored four times in the third period en route to a 5-2 win over the defending champion Halifax Mooseheads on Friday. Cheap Arizona Cardinals Jerseys China . The 26-year-old Sobotka injured his left leg playing for the St. Louis Blues in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. The Blues said he would not recover from the injury in time for the Olympic tournament. Andy Isabella Jersey .ca. Kerry, In the closing minutes of the second period of Game 4 between Pittsburgh and Columbus there were the remnants of two broken sticks behind the Pittsburgh net.PITTSBURGH -- Chris Davis had been searching since spring training for the power stroke that produced 53 home runs last season. It reappeared in a big way Tuesday night as Davis hit three home runs, doubling his season total, and drove in five runs to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 9-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night. Davis hit a two-run blast during a four-run fifth inning off Francisco Liriano (0-4) that put the Orioles ahead 6-1. He hit a solo shot in the seventh off Jared Hughes and two-run homer in the ninth off Jeanmar Gomez. It was Davis second career three-homer game - the other came on Aug. 24, 2012 against Toronto - and seventh multi-homer game. After leading the major leagues and setting a franchise record for homers last season, Davis hit three in his first 30 games. Davis was on the disabled list with a strained left oblique from April 26-May 11, an injury that had sapped his power. His frustration reached a boiling point Sunday when he went 0-for-4 in a loss to the Royals at Kansas City. "I felt like I just had some good pitches to hit and I rolled over everything, so I got here early today and worked on some stuff in early (batting practice)," said Davis, who also singled in the fourth inning. "It just sometimes clicks for you and today was one of those days." "Even in spring training, there were some at-bats where I would feel good and have good results, but I just didnt feel like I was right and then obviously with the injury, missing some time coming back, my timing was all screwed up." Nelson Cruz also homered, following Davis shot in the fifth, to give the Orioles their second set of back-to-back homers of the season. Adam Jones had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 14 games. Miguel Gonzalez (2-3) pitched six innings for Baltimore, allowing ttwo runs and seven hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.dddddddddddd "It was a great night to be out there as a pitcher," Gonzalez said. "A lot of run support and a lot of great defence." Liriano (0-4) allowed six runs and nine hits in five innings for Pittsburgh and is now winless in 13 consecutive regular-season starts since last Sept. 10 at Texas. "I was leaving too many pitches over the middle of the plate," Liriano said. "I was missing my spots a lot and I couldnt repeat two good pitches in a row. I wasnt executing my pitches with men on base and the bases empty." Ike Davis homered for the Pirates, his second in 27 games since being acquired from the New York in a trade on April 18, in the seventh inning. Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen had two hits each. Baltimore won for third time in nine games while Pittsburgh lost for the sixth time in eight games. NOTES: Orioles RHP Dylan Bundy threw 18 pitches in an extended spring training game Tuesday at Sarasota, Florida, the first time the organizations top prospect had faced hitters from another organization since undergoing Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery last June. ... Baltimore C Matt Wieters, on the disabled list with a strained right elbow, said he is feeling considerably better after having a platelet-rich plasma injection last week and should be activated long before the projected date of July 1. ... Pirates LF Starling Marte returned to the lineup after a strained left hamstring forced him to leave the second game of Sundays doubleheader against the Yankees at New York and went 0-for-4. ... The Orioles are 18-9 in night games but 6-11 in the day. ... The two-game series concludes on Wednesday night with Baltimore RHP Chris Tillman (4-2, 3.34) facing Pittsburgh LHP Wandy Rodriguez (0-2, 6.84). 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