By Michalis Gioulenoglou/ info@eurohoops.net
Riga, Latvia – Giannis Antetokounmpo has won the NBA championship and the MVP award, but he wanted something big with the Greek national team.
In the quarterfinal against Lithuania, he made things happen. Hellas got the 87-76 win over Lithuania with Giannis having one more monster game with 29 points (9/15 FG, 10/15 FT), six rebounds, and four steals.
Giannis will face Alperen Sengun’s Turkey in Friday’s semifinal game, which can be an instant classic, as two-time Eurobasket champions Greece return to the semis for the first time after 16 years.
“It’s just one win and we have to prepare for the next game”, said coach Vassilis Spanoulis moments after the final buzzer, adding: “We will be ready”.
Vasilis Toliopoulos added 17 valuable points in 16 minutes of action, Kostas Sloukas scored 11 points, and Kostas Antetokounmpo also had a key contribution with his defensive presence and four blocks.
On the other side, Jonas Valanciunas put his heart on the floor and finished the night with 24 points and 15 rebounds in front of 6.000 Lithuanian fans who made the trip to neighboring Latvia.
Arnas Velicka, with 12 points and seven assists, tried his best, but the absence of injured Rokas Jokubaitis proved to be more than important against a strong opponent.
Entering the last three minutes, the score was 78-63 after a Giannis shot as Greece never trailed after the first quarter, and in the fourth pushed the lead to 16 (73-57). Lithuania couldn’t get into striking distance in the time left.
Photo credit: FIBA