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NBA star Jakob Pöltl inspired Salzburg

Basketball: Austria’s national team wins against Ireland with 92:66.

Part one of the Salzburg Basketball Festival on Thursday brought a successful performance by the local ensemble around its celebrated star and a satisfied, almost euphoric audience: Austria’s national team with NBA legionnaire Jakob Pöltl clearly defeated Ireland in the European Championship pre-qualification with 92:66 ( 51:35). At the same time, Switzerland lost to Cyprus 63:71. Austria is about to win the group and will be promoted to the second qualifying phase.

Home, you are grown-up sons: Jakob Pöltl sang the anthem with fervor in the Alpenstrasse sports hall, which was packed with 1,500 spectators. After all, the 2.13 meter man had had to wait four years for such an opportunity since his last team appearance. So it took some time before the coordination between the center of the San Antonio Spurs and his colleagues involved in the German and Austrian leagues was right. After head coach Raoul Korner gave him some rest at the end of the first quarter, Pöltl really got going. With an eye for free teammates and outstanding rebounds, the superstar carried the red-white-red team and the fans away. Clear fall on the scoreboard: 23:22 after the first quarter, 51:35 at half time.

Austria had already won in the first leg without Pöltl-Power. In Salzburg the difference became even clearer. Jakob Pöltl contributed 14 points, four assists and eleven rebounds as top scorer in 25:02 minutes. “A great game, the fans were amazing,” he said happily. Basketball and Salzburg can become a love story – Da capo on Sunday (18, live on ORF Sport +) against Cyprus.

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