CHICAGO — Kyrie Irving scored 13 points, DeMarcus Cousins powered a dominant performance in the paint, and the United States pulled away from Venezuela for an ugly 80-45 exhibition victory Friday night.

Coming off three straight flashy victories in Las Vegas and California, the United States shot 42.4 percent from the field and committed 13 turnovers in by far its worst offensive performance of its five-city tour in preparation for next week’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics. But the Americans used their superior athleticism to limit Venezuela to 24 percent shooting and owned the interior with a 54-29 rebounding advantage.

Returning to Chicago for the first time with the U.S. national team, Jimmy Butler of the Bulls had four points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes in his first start with Team USA.

Butler had one of the few electric plays for the U.S. when he ran out on the break and dunked Kyle Lowry’s tip pass in the fourth quarter. DeAndre Jordan also had a vicious dunk off a lob from Kevin Durant, and DeMar DeRozan added a windmill jam in the final minutes.

Klay Thompson also scored 13 points, and Cousins finished with seven points and 12 rebounds. Durant had nine points of 3-of-9 shooting.

DIANA TAURASI scored 14 points and Elena Delle Donne added 12 to help the U.S. women’s basketball team beat Canada 83-43 in an exhibition game at Bridgeport, Connecticut.

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While the Canadians will be searching for their first medal, the U.S. will seek an unprecedented sixth consecutive gold at the Olympics. The Americans have one more exhibition game Sunday against Australia, which beat France 76-67 on Friday night. The top two teams in the world will play at Madison Square Garden. Canada will face France.

LESS THAN a week before the opening of the Olympics, IOC leaders will meet in Rio de Janeiro this weekend to review the final preparations for the games and deal with the fallout from the doping scandal that led to the exclusion of more than 100 Russian athletes.

The International Olympic Committee’s ruling executive board opens a two-day meeting Saturday, its last formal gathering before next Friday night’s opening ceremony.

SO THE PLUMBING and electricity in the athletes’ village took several days to fix. Who cares? But no Pokemon Go? That’s an outrage! Since debuting this month, the game has spread like wildfire, launching in more than 30 countries or territories, but not Brazil.

“I wish I could run around in the (athletes’) village catching Pokemon,” New Zealand soccer player Anna Green said. “I just can’t get it on the phone. It’s fine but it would have been something fun to do.” What will she do instead? “Train,” she replied.

AUSTRALIAM TEAM members were forced to evacuate their lodgings at the Olympics after a small fire in a basement parking area caused smoke to fill the stairwells.

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About 100 athletes and officials were evacuated from their building in the sprawling athletes’ village. They returned about 20 minutes later.

U.S. RUNNER Allyson Felix said she expects to be close to 100 percent when the 400-meter qualifying begins Aug. 13.

Felix, who hurt her right ankle during training this spring, was at less than 100 percent earlier this month when she ran in the trials.

SOUTH KOREAN gymnast Lee Go-im will miss the Olympics after fracturing her left arm during training.

The Korean Olympic Committee said the 15-year-old suffered the injury while practicing her vault routine Thursday night and is scheduled to return to South Korea for surgery.

THE U.S. ADDED long jumper Michael Hartfield to its team after Marquis Dendy withdrew with a leg injury.

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Hartfield finished fifth at the U.S. Olympic trials earlier this month and was next in line for a spot because he reached an Olympic qualifying standard earlier in the year.

ALL OF RUSSIA’S weightlifters were banned from the Olympics for doping in what the international federation called “extremely shocking” results that brought the sport into “disrepute.”

The eight competition spots have been offered to other countries.

BRAZIL’S FEDERAL government severed its contract with a security firm that was supposed to operate X-ray machines during the Olympics.

Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes said the Artel company didn’t deliver the 3,400 workers who were supposed to perform the task. They will be replaced by retired policemen who are still to be trained.

FRENCH PRESIDENT Francois Hollande is flying to Brazil next week to help support Paris with its Olympic bid.

Hollande will be in Rio on Thursday, where he will meet with members of the Paris 2024 bid committee and have lunch with French athletes in the Olympic village.

THREE-TIME OLYMPIC canoeing champion Katalin Kovacs of Hungary is retiring after failing to qualify for the Rio Games.


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