With veteran NBA point guard Ricky Rubio at the helm, Spain opened Group C preliminary play Monday with an 88-77 win against Japan. 

Rubio was a +27 on the day. He finished with 20 points and nine assists and was the driving force behind Spain's second-quarter run to take control of the game.

A Game of Runs

With 5:35 left in the second quarter, Japan had just tied things up at 26 on a Rui Hachimura 3-pointer. Rubio was subbed back in, and Spain took control. They ended the half on a 20-2 run which included a span of more than four minutes that Japan went scoreless. 

Spain opened the game with a 7-0 run and then went scoreless for more than three minutes. Japan wasn't able to cut into the lead by much, scoring only five points during Spain's drought. Japan ended the first quarter with another 5-0 run.

With the help of a 14-3 third-quarter run, Japan was able to get back in the game, cutting a 24-point deficit down to 13. 

Japan got to within 11 a couple of times but weren't able to cut the deficit down to single digits until there was less than a minute to play. 

Late to Their Own Party

The empty arenas might not have a bigger impact on any country more than host country Japan, who had envisioned pack crowds of their countrymen. 

With empty seats all around, Japan was slow out the gates. They were scoreless for three minutes to open the game, which put them in a hole they couldn't dig out of.

Hachimura struggled early despite finishing tied for the game-high with 20 points, 8-of-21 shooting. He missed his first five attempts as Japan struggled to shoot as a team.

In the first half, Japan shot 32% from the field and 3-of-11 on 3-pointers. They even struggled from the line, going just 3-of-7 on free throws. 

The second half was far more kind to Japan, who finished the game shooting over 40% both from the field and from deep. 

Spanish Attack

All 12 men on Spain's roster saw action Monday, with 10 of them putting up points. 

Three other Spaniards joined Rubio in scoring double-digits. Victor Claver was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field for 13 points and added a game-high nine rebounds. Marc Gasol put in 12, and Alex Abrines dropped 11 off the bench. 

Rudy Fernandez was the only starter on either side to finish scoreless. Fernandez was 0-of-5 from the field in 20 minutes but grabbed six rebounds and had a team-high three steals for Spain. 

Up Next

Both teams are back on the court Thursday in Saitama. Japan takes on Luka Doncic and Slovenia. Doncic scored 48 points in his Olympics debut against Argentina, a 118-100 win. The game will air at 12:40 am EST.

Spain will take on Argentina at 8:00 am EST.