Tayshaun Prince sprained his left ankle in the first quarter of the United States' game with Brazil on Sunday night in the FIBA Americas tournament in Las Vegas.

The 6-foot-9 forward fell and stayed on the floor after going for a defensive rebound late in the first quarter. He was attended to for about a minute and then helped off the court. He gingerly walked to the locker room. A team spokesman said team doctors decided Prince would not return to the game as a precautionary measure, and he would be re-evaluated today.

Detroit Piston Tayshaun Prince sprained his left ankle in the first quarter of the United States' game with Brazil on Sunday night in the FIBA Americas tournament in Las Vegas.

The 6-foot-9 forward fell and stayed on the floor after going for a defensive rebound late in the first quarter. He was attended to for about a minute and then helped off the court. He gingerly walked to the locker room. A team spokesman said team doctors decided Prince would not return to the game as a precautionary measure, and he would be re-evaluated today.

After containing Leandro Barbosa, Kobe Bryant still had time to keep up with LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

James scored 21 points, Bryant added 20 and harassed Barbosa all over the court, and the United States clinched the top spot in its group by beating Brazil 113-76 Sunday night in the FIBA Americas tournament.

Anthony also had 21 for the Americans (4-0), who for the second straight game pulled away by holding their opponent without a field goal for more than 6 minutes in the second quarter.

"When you see Kobe Bryant diving for loose balls," USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said, "and you see LeBron and Carmelo giving it the kind of work that they're putting into this, that commitment and passion, that's a message."

American reserve Tayshaun Prince left the game in the first half after spraining his left ankle while battling for a defensive rebound. Krzyzewski said after the game the Pistons swingman would probably miss a day or two.

Butch van Breda Kolff, who coached the Lakers to two NBA finals appearances and won 482 games as a college coach, has died after a long illness.

Van Breda Kolff, 84, died Wednesday afternoon at a nursing home in Spokane, his daughter, Kristina van Breda Kolff, said. His son, Jan, also played professionally and coached at Cornell, Vanderbilt, Pepperdine and St. Bonaventure.

The Pistons signed free-agent guard/forward Jarvis Hayes on Thursday.

The 6-foot-8 Hayes appeared in 81 games last season for the Wizards, averaging 7.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 20.1 minutes.

According to the Boston Globe, Chauncey Billups, one of Kevin Garnett's good friends, helped sway the big man to join him in the Eastern Conference.

Garnett sought counsel from two of his closest friends in the NBA, Billups and the Hawks' Tyronn Lue while contemplating the move from Minnesota to Boston.

At first Garnett did not want to leave Minnesota but in the end realized a trade would be best for the Timberwolves and his own future.

Lue told the Globe: "I talked to KG and it was tough at first because he's so loyal to Minnesota, his family, friends, and the fans. All he knew was Minnesota for the last 12 years. I thought Boston would be a great situation, a perfect situation with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. I thought automatically they'd be in the Eastern Conference finals with KG. He thought about it and asked, 'You think so?' I said, 'Yeah.'

"Then, Chauncey came out and said, 'You have to take the best thing for you and that's playing in Boston, even though we'd be in the same conference and play four times a year.' We definitely convinced him to choose Boston because two great players were already in place. Adding KG and being in the Eastern Conference, it'd be easier to win.

"Then, KG asked me, 'What about the city?' I said, 'You don't go out anyway, so it doesn't matter. You don't go out of the house. You could play in Alaska.' He's like, 'Yeah, you're right.' "

Donnie Nelson, the team's president of basketball operations, tapped the brakes on thoughts that a deal for a veteran player was imminent.

"This could go all the way to the first day of training camp," Nelson said Tuesday. "We have no sense of urgency to do anything right now. We'll do a deal when it's right for us and not sooner."

Since the Mavericks agreed to terms with Eddie Jones last week, Internet rumors have swirled about Chris Webber possibly being the Mavs' final acquisition. One variation had both Webber and fellow unrestricted free agent James Posey coming to Dallas.

Nelson indicated that the Mavericks are pondering all options ? restricted and unrestricted free agents, trades with a jammed roster and the status quo.

A Los Angeles radio station was reporting on Sunday that Chris Webber was nearing a deal to join the Dallas Mavericks.

Webber has said that he would either sign with the Mavs, Pistons or retire.

Road construction put Detroit Pistons coach Flip Saunders on the 10th Avenue bridge Wednesday in Minneapolis.

The detour perhaps saved his life.

"I usually take the 35W bridge, but the ramp was closed," Saunders said Thursday from Minneapolis in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "My daughter was driving in a car right behind me when the bridge collapsed ? about 20 yards away from us. It sounded like a bomb with it dropped.

"I got out of my car and the first thing I heard was the kids screaming on the bus. I called 911. I didn't really know what else I could do."