First Game Very Nearly a Nightmare : Basketball: U.S. trails Spain at one point in first half before pulling away for 115-100 victory.

The question before the 1994 World Championship of Basketball started was whether Dream Team II could beat the original Dream Team that won the 1992 Olympics.

When the U.S. team trailed late in the first half Thursday night, the question was whether it could beat Spain, fifth in the European championships and a 41-point loser to Dream Team I in the Olympics.

Dream Team II went on to win its first-round, Pool A game, 115-100, behind the outside shooting of Joe Dumars and Reggie Miller. But the ease with which Spain scored on the Americans leaves some doubt about how the heavy gold medal favorites will fare the rest of the 11-day tournament.

Dumars scored 21 points and Miller had 20 for the Americans, who pulled away in the second half as Spanish Coach Manuel Sainz benched several of the players who did so well in the first 20 minutes.

Dumars, the only U.S. team member with an NBA championship ring, scored 12 points in the first 10:07. When his three-pointer with 9:53 left in the first half gave the United States a 34-22 advantage, the Americans looked unstoppable.

But for the next four minutes, the Spaniards dominated, outscoring the U.S. team 20-7 for a 42-41 edge with 5:26 left. Backup forward Alberto Herreros scored eight of his 11 first-half points in the run, including a shocking three-pointer that put Spain ahead.

The slim advantage lasted just six seconds, however, as Kevin Johnson converted a three-point play that put the United States ahead to stay. Johnson’s free throw with 3.7 seconds left made it 59-51 at halftime.

The original Dream Team, led by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley, had one brief first-half scare at the Olympics, trailing Croatia 25-23 with 9:44 left in the gold-medal game. The Americans went on to win that game by 32.

Spain trailed just 62-55 early in the second half before the Americans pulled away with a 16-0 run capped by two three-pointers from Miller and one by Dumars, who had three 3s in the second half.

The burst gave Dream Team II a 78-55 lead with 14:10 left, and it went on to lead 99-74 before Spain closed to 110-98 with 2:37 left behind Jordi Villacampa, who scored 23 of his 28 points in the second half.

Juan Antonio Orenga 14 points for Spain. Herreros did not play in the second half, nor did Ferran Martinez, who had 10 first-half points.

Basketball Notes

Jose Ortiz scored 19 points, leading six Puerto Rico players in double figures in a 102-74 rout of Egypt in a first-round game at the World Championship of Basketball. Puerto Rico was the gold-medal team in the Goodwill Games last month. . . . Dino Radja had 25 points and eight rebounds to lead Croatia’s NBA frontline in an 85-65 victory over Cuba in its opener. Radja, who plays for the Boston Celtics, was 11 for 16 from the field and was joined on the dominating frontline by Toni Kukoc of the Chicago Bulls, who had 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Stojan Vrankovic, who played for the Celtics and had 14 points and 12 rebounds. . . . Andrew Gaze’s free throw with 13 seconds to play was Australia’s only point of the final six minutes, but it still hung on for an 87-85 victory over South Korea. Gaze had 31 points. . . . Panagiotis Fassoulas had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead Greece to a 68-58 victory over Germany.