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Saturday, August 30
 
Sprained right thumb sends Iverson to sidelines

Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Allen Iverson will miss the U.S. national team's final two games at the Tournament of the Americas because of a sprained right thumb.

Team spokesman Craig Miller said Saturday that Iverson injured the thumb in the first half of Thursday's 91-65 victory over Puerto Rico.

An X-ray and CT scan were negative, Miller said, but team doctors have ruled him out of the final two games.

A berth in the 2004 Olympics was at stake Saturday night as the U.S. team played Puerto Rico.

In the other semifinal, Argentina defeated Canada 88-72. A third Olympic berth will go to the winner of the third-place game Sunday.

This is the second injury to a key player for the U.S. team, which went 8-0 in the first two rounds. Tracy McGrady aggravated a sprained back in the final game of the first round and ruled himself out of the remainder of the tournament, but he returned Thursday night after receiving treatment and judging himself healthy enough to play.

Iverson started all eight games for the Americans, averaging 14.3 points -- second on the team behind Tim Duncan's 14.7. He made seven 3-pointers in the third quarter against Canada on Tuesday and finished with 28 points -- the most by any U.S. player in this tournament.

He was replaced in the starting lineup by Ray Allen against Puerto Rico.

Iverson also sprained his right thumb last November in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Two days later, the Philadelphia 76ers announced that he would not play that night against Cleveland -- although Iverson wound up being in the starting lineup.




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