Loosely translated, that means “Difficult game today against Russia. It was not to be, but now to focus for the game on Friday. Viva Dominican Republic.”
Horford, whose name has been linked to Dwight Howard trade rumors, is competing in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Caracas, Venezuela, where the Dominican Republic has advanced to the knockout stage and will play Macedonia in the Round of 16.
In Wednesday’s game against Russia, Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov turned his ankle going for a rebound just 3 minutes after checking into the game (he and Andrei Kirilenko did not start).
Horford shot 10-for-13 as a result, but Russia’s depth was too much in an 84-69 victory. Kirilenko filled the stat sheet with 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
In addition to the DR-Macedonia game, Russia will play Angola in the Round of 16. The other matchups will be determined following today’s Lithuania-Nigeria and Greece-Puerto Rico games. New Zealand, South Korea and Jordan have already been eliminated.
For more on the tournament, read AJ Mitnick’s comprehensive overview piece.
For more results and highlights, including play-by-play from amigo Jeff Taylor, click over to FIBA.com.