Russia used a 15-4 run in a six-minute span late on to turn a close game into a route, as they beat Croatia 83-70.

David Blatt’s men played from behind for the better part of the first two and a half quarters but, once they edged ahead 55-54 lead on a lay up by reserve Nikolai Padius with 1:13 left in the third period, they never relinquished their lead, outscoring their opponents 28-16 the rest of the way.

The result means that Russia (4-1) can still finish top in Group E if hosts Spain lose to Israel in the last game of the day.

		Roko-Leni Ukic's turnovers hurt Croatia

Meanwhile, Croatia (2-3) must now wait to find out the result of that game and of the Greece-Portugal clash to find out whether they are through to the quarter-finals.

The game was close for the first three quarters with neither team leading by more than eight points.

But Russia used a 15-4 spurt spanning the end of the third quarter and the first five minutes of the final period to turn their 58-56 advantage into a comfortable 73-60 lead.

They forced their opponents into a lot of mistakes – offensive fouls, turnovers and poor shot selection – early in the final frame and that ultimately proved to be Croatia’s downfall.

“In the first half, we allowed them to play their game and we were in trouble. But after the break we started to execute our offense and defense better and we forced them into making mistakes. We got some fast-breaks and easy points on their turnovers,” said Andrei Kirilenko who led Russia with 20 points and eight rebounds.

Croatia were without starting guard Marko Popovic who sat out because of a torn hamstring. Watching from the sidelines, he witnessed his team’s inability to maintain their level of play for a full game and admitted that has cost them dearly.

"All tournament, we haven’t played well for a full 40 minutes. That's what happened today and that's why we won in the first half but lost the second,” he said.

“Now we hope Spain will beat Israel and then we'll play in the quarter-finals, but I hope then we'll know to play good for 40 minutes. I had an injury in my hamstring, and we didn't want to risk it. If it was a big game, I would have continued to play."

Popovic’s usual backcourt partner Zoran Planinic looked like he was ready to pick up the slack in his team-mate’s absence early on, scoring four of his team’s first eight points as they jumped to an 8-4 lead.

However, he then picked up three quick fouls in the first six minutes and sat out the rest of the first half.

Planinic’s absence didn’t seem to trouble his team too much though as Davor Kus stepped up his play and gave Croatia their biggest lead of the game, 39-32, on a three-pointer with 2:46 left in the first half.

Russia though scored nine of the last 12 points before the break to trail by just one, 42-41.

The teams exchanged the lead for the most part of the third quarter before Russia went on its run.

Russia

Coach David Blatt: "I want to commend my players in the way they behaved and played today. There was every reason for them to come out without an overly-motivated fashion.
My players decided to come out and try to win after losing two days earlier against Spain."

"(After a mediocre first half) We woke up and played a beautiful second half - one of our best in this tournament. Today we played right."

"As my Italian friends know, (Jasmin Repesa and Blatt) have had a few battles in the past. And his teams are going to do the things they do and they'll do them better than you if you let them. We just played the game right and you have to play the game right against a Repesa team. This was one of our most consistent offensive games."

Guard J.R. Holden: "I knew we would come out aggressive in the first half. We got a lot of foul shots, got a lot of fouls called for us today. I think the game was pretty physical. So overall, we needed a win going into the quarter-finals and we got one."

"What we didn't do was, we didn't run our offense, I'll tell you that. We gotta be a better half-court team. We're at our best when we're running, of course. But when we're slowing it down, we're not crisp. That may come back to haunt us. So we need to work on that."

Forward Nikita Morgunov: "It was a great game for the Russia team. The second half showed us that we can play great for all 40 minutes. Every player stuck to their task and only thought about the win."

Croatia

Coach Jasmin Repesa: "After a pretty good first half, we played a very bad second half. We made a lot of mistakes and let them run their game, mainly the fast break."

"I can tell now that after six games that I am really worried with how we stand on the court in the last 10 minutes. We know that every game will be a very tough game against a very tough team and if you make mistakes they will punish you."

"I hope we get the chance to make up for the last 20 minutes of this game."

"(About Marko Popovic, who missed the game with a torn hamstring) It's not serious. I hope he will recover. If he can play, he will be ready."

Center Mario Kasun: "We lost the game in the second half. Everybody was, let's say, lost. And nobody picked up their game. I don't think we moved the ball well and didn't play well on defense."

Guard Marko Popovic: "All the tournament we can't play good for 40 minutes. That's what happened today and that's why we won in the first half but lost the second. Now we hope Spain will beat Israel and then we'll play in the quarter-finals, but I hope then we'll know to play good for 40 minutes. I had an injury in my hamstring, and we didn't want to risk it. If it was a big game, I would have continued to play." 

Russia (3-1) go into their final qualifying round game against Croatia (2-2) knowing they have already booked their place in the last eight.

However, they will have all the motivation they need to go out and win as there is still a chance for them to secure top spot in Group E and guarantee themselves an advantageous draw in the quarter-finals.

		Planinic has yet to deliver a big performance for Croatia

As for Croatia, they face some uncertainty as both Portugal and Israel could still snap a place in the next round at their expense.

Therefore, Jasmin Repesa's men must go into this clash against Russia thinking that a win is the only result that guarantees their place in the quarter-finals.

Last time out: Hosts Spain handed Russia their first loss of the competition on Sunday, beating them 81-69 and forcing Andrei Kirilenko & Co to play a style of basketball which was pretty much the opposite of what coach David Blatt wanted to see. Croatia meanwhile were beaten 81-78 by defending champions Greece as Vasileios Spanoulis hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer after Marko Popovic had tied the game at 78-78 on a pair of free-throws with seven secondds left.

Key Match-up: Mario Kasun v Aleksey Savrasenko and Nikita Morgunov. Kasun has been a beast inside for Croatia averaging 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds. Savrasenko and Morgunov will have to try their best to prevent him from getting too many offensive rebounds and that will be a tough task as the Russian pair are only combining for five boards a game. Morgunov though might be a handful for Kasun at the other end of the court as he has provided a huge offensive boost off the bench for Croatia lately.

X-Factor: The play of two key guards. Russia's J.R Holden has had a mixed tournament so far but it hasn't affected his team too much - yet. He has had two good outings and three quiet (if not sub-par) performances, including the last two games. Meanwhile, Zoran Planinic hasn't exactly been on fire for Croatia. He hasn't had any particularly bad games but neither has he had a stunning one either.

Key Statistics: Marko Popovic is Croatia's second leading scorer with 12.8 points per game despite having made just one two-point field goal - and attempted a total of eight - so far in the tournament. He has hit on 15 of 39 attempts from three-point range (38.5%) and is a very reliable free-throw shooter (made 17 of 20 for 85%).

Sounding off: "I'm a little frustrated. I think we played stupid in the second half. We took one on the chin, but we have to come back against Croatia." - Russia guard J.R Holden after his team's defeat against world champions and looking ahead to today’s game.