Beijing Olympic Games

LeBron scores 20 as U.S. routs Turkey

MACAO, CHINA (TICKER) —LeBron James’ ankle looked just fine, and so did Team USA.

James scored 20 points Thursday night as the Unites States Olympic basketball team routed Turkey, 114-82, in its first game in China.

The NBA’s leading scorer this past season, James suffered a sprained right ankle in practice last week and was sidelined during last Friday’s exhibition victory over Canada in Las Vegas. Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski admitted that the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar had sustained only a mild injury and could have played if needed.

James certainly looked healthy in his exhibition debut Thursday, making 8-of-9 shots while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists. He opened the game in exciting fashion, pulling down a rebound on Turkey’s first possession and dribbling the length of the court to score the contest’s first basket.

“It was good having LeBron back,” Krzyzewski said. “Obviously he’s healthy. He got player of the game.”

The high-flying James made several other jaw-dropping plays, including a thunderous alley-oop dunk off a feed from Kobe Bryant that highlighted a 19-3 run to close out the first half.

Carmelo Anthony scored 17 points while Dwight Howard chipped in 14 and eight rebounds for Team USA, which struggled in the first quarter before opening a 54-37 halftime lead. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh scored 13 points each and Bryant had a team-high seven assists.

“I think we’ve realized that we’re not going to blow a team out in the first quarter and just continue to play solid defensively and try and wear a team down,” James said. “Once we realized it’s going to not happen in the first quarter but toward the middle of the second quarter and then toward the end of the third quarter, we can break the game open, and that’s what we did.”

Team USA, which shot 71 percent (41-of-58) from the floor, plays Lithuania here on Friday before traveling to Shanghai for its final two Olympic tuneup games. The United States plays its Olympic opener against host China on August 10.

“This type of competition really helps us,” Krzyzewski said. “Turkey runs very good continuity, and for us to have different lineups trying to defend that that was really good for us.”

Turkey, which failed to qualify for the Olympics, made 10 shots in the first quarter and entered the second period trailing just 31-30. But Team USA bore down defensively, as James keyed the pivotal run at the end of the second quarter.

“I expect every game to be tough,” Bryant said. “I think that helps you prepare even more when you know the games are going to be tough, that you’re going to be in a battle.”

Cenk Akyol scored 22 points to pace the Turks, who were without injured NBA players Mehmet Okur and Hedo Turkoglu.