Orlando Magic Gameday

Eric Gordon scored 21 points for the Americans

LeBron James didn’t change all his teams this summer. James posted on his Twitter feed Thursday that he’s considering going to Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 11 to see the matchup between No. 2 Ohio State — his longtime team of choice — and No. 13 Miami. And no, the former Cleveland Cavaliers star isn’t rooting for the Hurricanes.

The Atlanta Hawks have signed free agent center Etan Thomas to add bulk in the frontcourt. The 6-foot-10 Thomas spent most of his career with the Washington Wizards but finished last season with Oklahoma City. He’s averaged 5.8 point and 4.8 rebounds per game over his eight-year career, which includes 74 starts.

Marcelo Machado scored 18 points, Anderson Varejao grabbed 12 rebounds in his longest stint at the world championship, and Brazil clinched third place in Group B with a 92-74 victory over Croatia on Thursday. Brazil (3-2) bounced back from a pair of narrow losses to earn a meeting with South American rival Argentina on Tuesday.

With nothing to play for, the United States looked as if it didn’t want to play. Outworked and outhustled, the Americans led winless Tunisia by only four points early in the third quarter before turning the game into a rout over the final 15 minutes of a 92-57 victory Thursday. Eric Gordon scored 21 points for the U.S., which had already clinched first place in its group and was more interested…

Aleksandar Rasic made four free throws in the last 11 seconds Thursday to help Serbia upset top-ranked Argentina 84-82 and win Group A at the basketball world championship. Argentina captain and Houston Rockets forward Luis Scola sank two free throws with 38 seconds left to make it 77-77, but Serbia’s Dusko Savanovic hit a 3-pointer with 18 seconds remaining.

Grab a plunger AND a handle, Orlando Magic fans.

Goran Dragic of the Phoenix Suns scored 18 points, and Slovenia surged into the elimation stage of the world championship with a 65-60 victory over Iran on Thursday. The Slovenians (4-1) won their last three games after losing to the United States to take the No. 2 seed from Group B. They will face Australia, the No.

Charles Abouo scored 19 points to lead Ivory Coast to an 88-79 win over Puerto Rico on Thursday at the basketball world championship. Despite the win, China will move on to Istanbul on a point differential ahead of the Ivory Coast and Puerto Rico in Group C. Mohamed Kone had double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Mamadou Lamizana added 17 points for the Ivory Coast.

Australia beat Angola 76-55 Thursday to clinch third place in Group A of the basketball world championship. Patty Mills had 11 points for Australia, which broke open the game with an 11-0 run in the second quarter. No player scored in double figures for Angola, which played without top scorer Olimpio Cipriano.

Charles Abouo scored 19 points to lead Ivory Coast to an 88-79 win over Puerto Rico on Thursday at the basketball world championship, but it was China that advanced to the knockout round on a three-team tiebreaker. Mohamed Kone had double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Ivorians and Mamadou Lamizana added 17 points.

Spain finished Group D play at the basketball world championship with consecutive strong games, routing winless Canada 89-67 Thursday. The defending champions started slowly but won their final two games by a total of 56 points. Spain will finish as either the six-nation group’s second- or third-seeded team going into the knockout rounds.

On paper and via electrons on the Internet, the Chicago Bulls should be a good team this upcoming season.

The Americans defeated Iran on Wednesday

Jaka Lakovic scored 20 points, hitting consecutive 3-pointers to halt a furious Brazil comeback, and Slovenia blew nearly all of a 17-point lead before holding on for an 80-77 victory Wednesday. Slovenia (3-1) took sole possession of second place in Group B, while Brazil (2-2) came up just short again after losing by two to the United States on Monday.

In the political arena, Iran vs. the United States is a matchup that gets attention. In a basketball arena, not so much. “For me, it’s a normal game,” Iran captain Mahdi Kamrany said. The United States won it easily, earning a top seed in the knockout round of the world championship with an 88-51 victory Wednesday in the first meeting between the countries with a history of contentious…

Jonas Maciulis had 19 points and Linas Kleiza added 15 points as Lithuania beat France 69-55 Wednesday to clinch top spot in Group D at the basketball world championship. “It’s a big step,” Lithuanian coach Kestutis Kemzura said. “But all the interesting things are just starting.” Lithuania (4-0) handed France (3-1) its first defeat and, after playing Lebanon (1-3) on…

Delonte West is returning to the Boston Celtics. The team announced Wednesday that it has signed the 6-foot-3 guard, who was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2010-11 season after pleading guilty to weapons charges in Maryland. West played his first three seasons with Boston before being traded to Seattle in 2007 in the deal that brought Ray Allen to the Celtics.

Top-ranked Argentina won its fourth straight game at the basketball world championship by defeating winless Jordan 88-79. Luis Scola scored 30 points, his third straight game with 30 or more, and had 13 rebounds. Carlos Delfino added 18 points. Rasheim Wright had 22 for Jordan and Ayman Idais scored 20.

Host Turkey maintained its perfect record at the basketball world championship by narrowly beating Puerto Rico 79-77 Wednesday, despite trailing its rival in the first three quarters. Hidayet Turkoglu of Phoenix Suns led Turkey (4-0) with 16 points and Ersan Ilyasova of the Milwaukee Bucks had double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds as the host team pulled away in the last quarter.