BEIJING — For a night, call it Linas-uania.
In a breathtaking moment of Lithuania Olympic lore, Nuggets forward Linas Kleiza hit a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left, a game-winner against Argentina, the 2004 gold-medal winners, here Sunday.
“It definitely felt good when it came out,” Kleiza said Sunday. “It’s a good feeling, I’m not going to lie.”
Kleiza had been quiet in the first three-plus quarters, in which his team played splendidly. With five minutes left, his team led by eight — and Kleiza had just four points.
He suddenly started playing like the gritty 3-point threat he is for the Nuggets, hitting two treys, the second with 3:50 left, giving his team an 11-point lead.
But Argentina, loaded with NBA talent, charged back with an 8-0 run, tying the game.
“We almost choked,” Kleiza said.
Lithuania regained possession with 19 seconds left, setting up history.
Guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, one of Kleiza’s close friends, drove toward the basket and found Kleiza open near the top of the key.
Splash.
The Nuggets’ star hit the shot, hopped around and then threw both arms into the air.
“I was waiting for my moment,” he said.
Argentina’s Carlos Delfino threw the ball away with 0.2 seconds left, and Lithuania dropped one more free throw for a 79-75 win.
“Sometimes, when two great teams play, it comes down to who makes a huge shot,” said Argentina’s Manu Ginobili.
It’s a historic win for Lithuania, but it’s just one win, and the team will return to pool play action on Tuesday against Iran. They also play Russia, Croatia and Australia in their pool, in which Argentina was clearly the best team entering these games.
As for Argentina, Ginobili believes his team can come back through its pool into medal play.
“If you consider this loss, it’s not that important, but emotionally it’s important,” he said. “It puts a lot of pressure on you for the next game. We’re going to have to play through it. We played an OK game – now we have to play a great game. If not, it’s over soon.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
