U.S. men roll easily past Germany

Next up for the Americans is the team that’s given them their closest game in China.

BEIJING (AP) — The U.S. Olympic team put away Dirk Nowitzki and Germany in a hurry.

Next up: the only team so far these Americans couldn’t blow out.

After destroying Germany 106-57 Monday, the Americans (5-0) move on to a quarterfinal matchup Wednesday against Australia, the team that’s provided them with their toughest test in China.

The U.S. led by only seven points midway through the fourth quarter of an 87-76 exhibition victory in Shanghai two weeks ago over an Australian team that didn’t have starting center Andrew Bogut of the Milwaukee Bucks. He was resting a sore right ankle.

It’s hard to imagine a repeat of that semi-Shanghai surprise with the way the U.S. has played in Beijing.

“Nobody is going to beat them. No way, it’s just not going to happen,” Germany’s Chris Kaman said.

Dwight Howard scored 22 points and LeBron James had 18, 16 in the first half, Monday as the United States completed an undefeated march through pool play.

Not since the Dream Team rumbled through Las Ramblas 16 years ago in Barcelona has a team been this dominant. The Americans won their pool games by 32.2 points and averaged 103 points.

“We feel like we’re playing very well right now, but you have to keep in mind it’s single elimination,” Kobe Bryant said. “You can’t afford any slip-ups.”

The only thing they might have to work on is Bryant’s dunking. He blew two Monday, but hit three 3-pointers after going only 5-of-24 in the first four games.

Bryant finished with 13 points as the Americans shot 55 percent from the floor and tossed in 11 more 3-pointers after making 12 in their last game.

With the top seed in their group already clinched, the Americans could have come out flat like Lithuania, which entered Monday as the other unbeaten and was trounced 106-75 by Australia.

Instead, they came out and flattened Germany.

The Americans scored three seconds into the game when Howard batted the tip to James, who threw it ahead to Carmelo Anthony for a layup. That was the start of eight straight U.S. points, and the end of any suspense.

Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks All-Star, scored 14 points for Germany (1-4), which completed a disappointing Olympics. The Germans looked like contenders in a 95-66 rout of Angola in their opener, but then dropped four straight.