Status: 09/11/2022 10:48 p.m
Greece, Poland, Finland and Italy made it through to the quarterfinals of the European Basketball Championship. Title candidate Serbia surprisingly failed.
As expected, the German basketball players will meet two-time title winners Greece with NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in the quarter-finals of the European Championships at home. The Greeks won their round of 16 in Berlin against the Czech Republic 94:88 (41:45) and booked the last ticket, but had great difficulties.
On Tuesday (September 13th, 2022), the selection of the German Basketball Federation (DBB), which had also eliminated Montenegro with difficulty at the start of the final round (85:79), had hard work in front of the chest against the favorites in Berlin. Antetokounmpo hit a double-double on Sunday with 27 points and ten rebounds.
respect is great
Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks is “one of the best players in the world,” said DBB captain Dennis Schröder with a view to the duel. “The requirements he has, his body, his size, his style, that’s what distinguishes him. If you want to achieve something in a tournament like this, then of course you have to win against the best,” said Schröder : “In the end it will be a great challenge. We accept it with pride.”
Markkanen leads Finland to victory
An outstanding Lauri Markkanen led Finland to the quarterfinals with a record show at the European Basketball Championship. In the 94:86 (45:43) victory in the round of 16 over Croatia, the NBA professional from Utah Jazz scored 43 points in Berlin. Never before has a Finn achieved such a result at a major tournament (Olympics, World Cup, European Championship). In addition, Markkanen recorded nine rebounds.
In the round of eight, the Finns meet world champions Spain, who eliminated Lithuania after a thriller (102:94 aet). The Croatians’ best thrower was Bojan Bogdanovic (23 points).
Serbia fails against Italy
Gold candidate Serbia failed after a flawless preliminary round in the round of 16. The team led by NBA MVP Nikola Jokic lost 86:94 (51:45) to some furious Italians in Berlin in the biggest upset of the tournament so far. A very weak final quarter shattered the title dream.
Italy head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco had to leave the interior after his second technical foul in the third quarter and went into the dressing room in tears, then his team turned up the heat – notably Marco Spissu (22 points) who had six three-pointers in the game. Italy is now playing against France. Serbia ran in vain after the deficit in the final phase, Jokic (Denver Nuggets) scored 32 points for the team of former national coach Svetislav Pesic. Nevertheless, the Vice European Champion lost.
Poland wins against Ukraine
Previously, Poland had bought the ticket for the quarter-finals. In a hard-fought game against neighboring Ukraine, national coach Igor Milicic’s team won 94:86 (42:45). Now defending champion Slovenia is waiting for superstar Luka Doncic.
The Ukrainian Vyacheslav Bobrov (r) defends under the basket against the Pole Michał Michalak.
Image: Soeren Stache/dpa
After a slightly better start for the Polish team, Ukraine responded, coming on with several three-pointers and going into the dressing room with a narrow half-time lead. After the break it was tight.
At the world number 13. point guard AJ Slaughter (24 points) and small forward Mateusz Ponitka (22) were the outstanding players. Overall, NBA pros Swjatoslav Mychajljuk (12) and Alex Len (9) did not play well enough in Ukraine.
Those: sportschau.de
