It was the last match of the round of 16 of this EuroBasket 2022, and WHAT A MATCH! Spain and Lithuania did not disappoint and offered us top-flight opposition. Cruel outcome for the Lithuanians but it is the Iberians who win in the end, after extra time, 102 to 94.
Find here the boxscore of this thriller
However, it was the Lithuanians who had the best first quarter, and they even led for a large part of the match. Under the impetus of Marius Grigonis who scored the first 6 points for his team before gradually dying out and Lukas Lekavicius who scored the last 7, the Greens got off to a good start. Except that opposite, Rudy Fernandez AKA Voldemort and Willy Hernangomez ensure the scoring at the start of the match, well helped by the two quick faults of Jonas Valanciunas and the defense type Grévin Museum of Domantas Sabonis. Va ensuite démarrer le show Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who will score from just about every position imaginable to put Lithuania in the lead. Opposite, the Spaniards are also trying to pick up the score but no one wants to let go.
???????? Kuuuuuuz with the no-look dime! ????#EuroBasket x #BringTheNoise
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— #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) September 10, 2022
If Kuzminskas, but also Ignas Brazdeikis and Domantas Sabonis in the second curtain do their best to ensure that the Litu race in the lead, the Hernangomez bros will sound the revolt and allow Spain to pick up little by little. Lithuania was up to 11 points ahead but now finds itself neck and neck with the Iberian selection. This is also the moment that Lorenzo Brown chooses to come out of his box and take over from the public enemy number 1 in France I named Rodolfo Fernandez. Spain come back in front with less than 2 minutes remaining and believe they hold their victory thanks to a tap from Usman Garuba 16 seconds from time. Especially when on the next throw-in, Domantas Sabonis is guilty of a mobile screen on Alberto Diaz who was in all the right moves tonight despite his resemblance to Adrien Quatennens. The Spaniards recover the ball and Sabonis fouls Willy Hernangomez who finds himself on the penalty line. The first falls in, but the pivot of the Pelicans has the trembles on the second. 83 to 81 for Spain, Lithuania has a final cartridge in this last quarter. Jokubaitis misses his award-winning shot to snatch the win, but Brazdeikis unleashes a space tap to send everyone into overtime.
IGGY BRAZDEIKIS SENDS IT TO OVERTIME! ????????????#EuroBasket x #TissotBuzzerBeater | @_iggy_braz
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— #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) September 10, 2022
At that time, it is believed that the momentum has returned to Kaunas, but it is not. Lorenzo Brown will literally sicken everyone and takes the game on his own by scoring twelve points in overtime including the first seven, and being involved in 16 of his 19 points during the five minutes of rab. Kuzminskas and Brazdeikis could not cope with such a performance, and the latter even received an unsportsmanlike foul after a loss of ball caused by the naturalized point guard. It is from this moment that the mass was said. Some had their faces in the bucket while others advanced not without having struggled towards the quarter-finals after Willy Hernangomez extinguished the last lights to allow the Iberians to return from beyond the grave.
What a finish.
Spain take the OT victory in the battle of European basketball giants and advance to the Quarter-Finals for the 21st time in a row! ????????⚔️???????? #EuroBasket x #BringTheNoise
— #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) September 10, 2022
This Spain is simply stunning. As a great philosopher would say, you should never burn the skin of the bear before having sold it. Finland and Croatia, the two potential opponents of La Roja in the quarterfinals, have been warned. And besides, this is the 21st consecutive EuroBasket quarter-final for the Spaniards. Just that.
