Final Round (1st-8th), 1974 FIBA World Cup
July 14, 1974 · Puerto Rico
Final Round (1st-8th), 1974 FIBA World Cup: Soviet Union 105–94 United States, at Puerto Rico on July 14, 1974.
The decisive game of the tournament: with the USSR, Yugoslavia, and the USA all tied atop the final round, the medals were resolved by points differential in the three teams' head-to-head games. Yugoslavia had already beaten the USSR 82-79, and the USA had beaten Yugoslavia 91-88; the Soviet Union's 11-point win here over the USA gave it the best differential of the three (+8 to Yugoslavia's even and the USA's -8), securing gold. Aleksandr Salnikov scored 38 points, including a perfect 14-for-14 from the free-throw line, for the Soviets.
Top performers
| Soviet Union — top performers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | PTS | REB | AST |
| Alexander Salnikov | 38 | - | - |
| Alexander Belov | 16 | - | - |
| Modestas Paulauskas | 11 | - | - |
| Pavlov | 6 | - | - |
| United States — top performers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | PTS | REB | AST |
| John Lucas | 18 | - | - |
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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