By Michalis Gioulenoglou/ info@eurohoops.net
Riga, Latvia – In the bronze-medal fixture of EuroBasket 2025, Greece led from start to finish en route to a narrow win, 92-89, against Finland in Xiaomi Arena.
From 5/8 three-pointers and a nine-point advantage at the end of the first quarter, the lead was trimmed to one point before a solid finish to the second quarter, creating a distance of 14 points. The knockout punch by the team coached by Vassilis Spanoulis seemed to be delivered with the lead peaking at 17 points midway through the fourth quarter, but the lead was reduced to one point with 5.7 seconds left.
Two clutch free throws with 4.0 seconds on the clock shaped a total of 12/16 for Giannis Antetokounmpo and eventually clinched the win, since Mikael Jantunen missed a putback with the distance at one point and a game-tying three-pointer with time running out. A former NBA champion with the Milwaukee Bucks, his efforts between Limassol and Riga lifted Greece to a first medal since 2009 and sixth overall, before focusing on his 13th journey with the Bucks.
Entering with 26.8 points per game, the 30-year-old forward dropped 30 points behind 9/11 two-pointers on Sunday. His 17 rebounds went into a fourth double-double in the tournament, alongside six assists, two blocks, and one steal over 31 minutes. After paving the way for an early double-digit lead with nine points in the first period, Tyler Dorsey finished with 20 points, making 7/12 from the field, including five triples. Vassilis Toliopoulos followed with 15 points.
Ranking fourth on the list of players with the most points per game, slightly behind the second-placed Freak, and second in total points, Lauri Markkanen struggled versus Kostas Papanikolaou and the Greek defense. The 28-year-old forward of the Utah Jazz in the NBA put up eight of his team-high 19 points in the late comeback bid, finishing with 6/16 field goals.
Photo Credit: FIBA