By Cesare Milanti/ info@eurohoops.net
Latvia, Riga – After Luka Dončić put on a show in Xiaomi Arena against Italy, another NBA star took the spotlight in Riga.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Greek national team to a 84-79 victory over Israel, setting up a quarterfinal clash with Lithuania in the 2025 EuroBasket.
As expected, the Milwaukee Bucks star shone brightly, guiding Vassilis Spanoulis’ team to victory with a double-double of 37 points and 10 rebounds. He shot an impressive 18/23 from the field, finishing the game with a PIR of 37.
“One of the top three players in the world, his game is very strong and unique, and there’s not much you can do,” said Israel head coach Ariel Beit-Halahmy about Giannis after the game.
Interestingly, only Kostas Sloukas also reached double figures with 11 points, while Kostas Papanikolau contributed eight points. Talented Alexandros Samodurov also delivered a strong performance, finishing the game with seven points, six rebounds, and two steals, but also scoring some important buckets in crucial moments.
It’s interesting that Greece didn’t have a good shooting night, hitting just four three-pointers from 25 attempts (16%) and going only 6/12 from the free-throw line. But Greece had Giannis.
However, coach Spanoulis addressed the shooting woes at the postgame press conference.
“We are a great three-point shooting team, not just good, great,” Spanoulis insisted.
On the other side, Deni Avdija scored 22 points with three rebounds, followed by Roman Sorkin with 15 points and six rebounds. Tomer Ginat also had a strong performance, recording 15 points and five rebounds, while Yam Madar added 10 points along with five assists and five steals.
Photo credit: FIBA