Ricky Rubio walked off at halftime looking dejected, staring at the floor, the last of Spain's players to get to the locker room. By the end of the game, he was standing on the sideline, waving a towel, urging on his teammates.
Rubio contributed another unproductive game to Spain's waning Olympic hopes on Tuesday, producing three points before fouling out of Spain's 66-65 loss to Brazil at the Rio Games. In 16 minutes, Rubio produced four rebounds, two turnovers, three points, zero steals or blocks and zero assists. He finished minus-6 for a team that lost in the last seconds to a less-heralded team.
Walking through the interview "mix zone," Rubio chewed on a towel and did not stop to speak to reporters.
Spain won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics with Rubio, then 17, playing point guard. He missed the London Games because of injury. This is his first Olympics as an established NBA player, and he has produced three points and one assists in 28 minutes of two losses.
"I never single out individuals,'' said Spanish coach Sergio Scariolo when asked about Rubio. "We win and lose as a team.''
