Tag: Slovenia

Giannis, Greece beat Doncic-led Slovenia to reach final

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Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, rear, hugs Slovenia’s Luka Doncic ahead of a basketball match, during the Acropolis basketball tournament at the Peace and Friendship indoor stadium at Athens’ port city of Piraeus, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannak ouris)

An Olympics berth has eluded Giannis Antetokounmpo so far during his basketball career. He’s one more victory away from changing that.

Thomas Walkup had 19 points, Antetokounmpo added 13 points in 21 minutes and Greece moved one victory from the Paris Games, eliminating Luka Doncic and Slovenia 96-68 on Saturday from the semifinals of the Olympic qualifying tournament.

“Since coach (Vassilis) Spanoulis took this whole deal over, it’s been one goal and that’s to get to the Olympics,” Walkup said. “We’re one game away from it. We have to stay humble and focused.”

READ: Fiba OQT: Luka’s Slovenia, Giannis’ Greece meet in KO duel

Doncic finished with 21 points in the game in Piraeus, Greece, which marked first time the two NBA megastars faced one another while representing their senior national teams.

“They played way better than us. They were way more aggressive,” Doncic said. “I think they have an amazing team. Obviously, they have Giannis. But other pieces are very important for them, too. And they’re very well-coached. … They outplayed us today.”

The matchup was one of eight semifinals taking place to determine the last four berths in the men’s basketball field for the Paris Games.

Vasileios Toliopoulos added 14 points for Greece, which will meet Croatia on Sunday in the final of the Greece tournament, with the Paris Olympics berth going to the winner.

Other semifinal games took place Saturday at tournaments in Spain, Latvia and Puerto Rico.

Doncic, who played through injuries in the NBA Finals for the Dallas Mavericks in their five-game loss to the Boston Celtics, averaged 31 points in Slovenia’s first two qualifying games. But he came out flat on Saturday against Greece’s big front line.

READ: Antetokounmpo, Doncic shoot for last shot at Paris Olympics

Slovenia was put on its heels early, as Greece scored the game’s first 13 points and took a 32-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Greece’s advantage grew as high as 23 points in the second quarter before Slovenia used a late flurry to cut it to 47-33 at the half.

Greece came out fast again in the third, using a 11-3 run to get some distance and carried a 16-point edge into the fourth quarter.

Slovenia shot just 43% (23 of 54) from the field for the game. That compared to 54% (34 of 70) for Greece, which also held a 38-25 rebounding edge.

Croatia 80, Dominican Republic 77

Ivica Zubac went 10 of 10 from the field and finished with 25 points and nine rebounds to help Croatia outlast the Dominican Republic in Greece’s second semifinals of the day.

Dario Saric and Jaleen Smith added 14 points apiece to put Croatia into Sunday’s final with Greece for a chance at making back to the Olympics for the first time since 2016.

Christopher Duarte finished with 17 points to lead the Dominican Republic.

The game featured 13 ties and six lead changes and was in doubt heading into the final seconds.

Trailing 78-74, the Dominican Republic’s Jean Montero got a steal and was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 3 seconds left by Croatia’s Smith.

Montero converted all three ensuing free throws to cut the deficit to a point.

The Dominican Republic quickly fouled Mario Hezonja, who connected on both of his ensuing free throws.

Duarte got a good look at a 3 at the buzzer, but his shot rimmed out.

Brazil 71, Philippines 60

In Riga, Latvia, Bruno Caboclo had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Brazil defeated the Philippines 71-60 to advance to the finals of that tournament.

Marcelinho Huertas added 13 points to help Brazil keep alive hopes of playing in its first Olympics since 2016.

The Brazilians will meet Latvia on Sunday in the finals of that tournament.

READ: Gilas’ Olympic dream ends, bows out of Fiba OQT with loss to Brazil

Justin Brownlee finished with 15 points and eight rebounds to lead the Philippines, which shot just 38% from the field (24 of 64) for the game and had 15 turnovers.

The Philippines led 33-27 at halftime before Brazil opened the third quarter with a 14-0 run. It was part of a 24-6 quarter for Brazil, which took a 51-39 lead into the fourth.

It was more the same in the final period. The Philippines got as close as 53-46, before Brazil responded with an 8-0 run to help put the game away.

Latvia 72, Cameroon 59

In the second semifinal in Riga, Rihards Lomazs scored 20 points and Latvia withstood several late pushes to hold off Cameroon 72-59.

Rolands Smits added 13 points to help Latvia advance to Sunday’s final against Brazil, where it will be looking to earn its first Olympics appearance since 1936.

Latvia carried a 53-50 lead into the fourth quarter and started the final period with a 9-0 run.

Cameroon got within 65-59 with 2:14 remaining on a layup by Brice Eyaga Bidias. But Latvia was able to close the game out at the free throw line.

Williams Narace led Cameroon with 14 points.

Bahamas 89, Lebanon 72

In Valencia, Spain, Deandre Ayton had 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Bahamas past Lebanon 89-72.

Buddy Hield chipped in 19 points and 10 assists to help the Bahamas move within a win of making its first Olympics field. It will meet Spain in Sunday’s final.

The Bahamas led by as many as 20 in the first half.

Lebanon whittled that deficit down to 75-68 in the fourth quarter. But the Bahamas outscored Lebanon 14-4 over the final 3:50.

Sergio El Darwich led Lebanon with 22 points.

Spain 81, Finland 74

Willy Hernangomez scored 28 points and Spain rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Finland 81-74 in Valencia’s second semifinal of the day.

Lorenzo Brown and Santiago Aldama added 15 points apiece to send Spain into Sunday’s final against the Bahamas. Spain will be seeking a seventh consecutive Olympic berth.

Andre Gustavson had 15 points for Finland, which hasn’t gotten to the Olympics since 1964.

There were three lead changes during a furious final 10 minutes.

Finland carried a 59-56 lead into the period and took its final lead at 66-64 on a 3-pointer by Elias Valtonen. But Spain outscored Finland 18-8 the rest of way.

Lithuania 88, Italy 64

Marius Grigonis scored 23 points, including six 3-pointers, the help Lithuania ease past Italy 88-64 and to advance to the finals of the San Juan, Puerto Rico tournament.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas added 14 points to keep Lithuania on track to qualify for its first Olympic tournament since 2016. It will meet Puerto Rico on Sunday.

Lithuania blew the game open with a 21-4 run that began in the second quarter and lasted into the third as it opened a 59-40 lead.

Danilo Gallinari led Italy with 15 points.

Puerto Rico 98, Mexico 78

Tremont Watter had 24 points to help host Puerto Rico roll into Sunday’s final with a 98-78 win over Mexico.



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Jordan Howard finished with 20 to give Puerto Rico a spot in Sunday’s final against Lithuania. Puerto Rico will be attempting to qualify for its first Olympics since 2004.

Seven of the last eight games between the teams had been decided by 10 points or less. It was tight again on Saturday before Puerto Rico pulled away in the second half, leading by as many as 25 points in the fourth quarter.

Fabian Jaimes led Mexico with 20 points.

Luka’s Slovenia, Giannis’ Greece meet in KO duel

On: By: admin


FILE–Slovenia’s Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks and Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks embrace after the game at American Airlines Center on February 03, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. The two international superstars meet again, this time in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Sam Hodde/Getty Images/AFP

Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo have faced off nine times in their NBA careers, and those games have never disappointed.

They go head-to-head again Saturday — but like never before.

Doncic and Slovenia will play Antetokounmpo and Greece in one of the eight semifinal games of the Olympic qualifying tournaments that are taking place to determine the last four berths in the men’s basketball field for the Paris Games. The game in Piraeus, Greece, is the first time the two megastars will face one another while representing their senior national teams.

READ: Fiba OQT: Doncic, Antetokounmpo shoot for last shot at Paris Olympics

“We’re looking forward to this,” Slovenia coach Aleksander Sekulic said.

The last time Doncic and Antetokounmpo played head-to-head was Feb. 3, when Antetokounmpo scored 48 points for Milwaukee, Doncic finished with 40 for Dallas, and the Bucks prevailed 129-117.

It was the seventh consecutive time in a Luka vs. Giannis matchup that both played and finished with at least 27 points. Antetokounmpo has scored at least 28 in all nine of his outings against Dallas when Doncic plays.

“Both teams have the same goal,” Sekulic said. “Of course, the home team is the favorite. But I think we can also go into this game knowing we have chances to win. As I always say, you’ve got to show it on the court.”

The game is also a chance for Doncic to play against a team coached by one of his heroes. He has called Greece coach Vasilis Spanoulis one of his idols; Doncic wears jersey No. 77 now because Spanoulis wore No. 7 as a player.

READ: Wembanyama steals show for France in Paris Olympics warmup

“He just showed a lot of players how to play basketball,” Doncic said.

The winner of the Greece-Slovenia game takes on either Croatia or the Dominican Republic in Sunday’s tournament final, with the Paris Olympics berth going to the winner.

A look at the other semifinal matchups, broken down by site:

Riga, Latvia

The matchups: Latvia vs. Cameroon, Brazil vs. Philippines.

Outlook: All six teams in the Latvia qualifier went 1-1 in group play. Montenegro and Georgia were eliminated before the semifinals because of the point differential tiebreaker. Brazil last made the Olympics in 2016, the Philippines last made it in 1972, Latvia’s last appearance was 1936, and Cameroon has never reached the Olympic stage in men’s basketball.

Quotable: “We’re very process-driven. You know, we want to just stay on what’s right in front of us. We don’t want to look at the end game and think, ‘Wow, what happens if we can make it to Paris?’ Obviously, the country would go bonkers. They would go absolutely crazy. But you know, that’s a long way away.” — Philippines coach Tim Cone.

Valencia, Spain

The matchups: Spain vs. Finland, Bahamas vs. Lebanon.

Outlook: Spain and Bahamas went 2-0 in group play and would seem favored to advance to Sunday. Spain is seeking a seventh consecutive Olympic berth. Finland hasn’t gotten there since 1964, while Lebanon and the Bahamas have never qualified. But the Bahamas — with NBA players Deandre Ayton, Buddy Hield and Eric Gordon leading the way — has easily its best shot.

Quotable: “The chance to play in an Olympics would be a dream come true.” — Hield.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

The matchups: Puerto Rico vs. Mexico, Italy vs. Lithuania.

Outlook: These four nations have a combined 34 past Olympic appearances, and this one might be the most unpredictable bracket left. Puerto Rico hasn’t qualified since 2004 and the home-court edge could be the deciding factor; seven of its last eight games with Mexico have been decided by 10 points or less. Italy and Lithuania haven’t met at the senior national level since 2019.



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Quotable: “We’ve had a rivalry for a lot of years and we have to know this team of Mexico maybe doesn’t have the big names, but they have warriors.” — Puerto Rico coach Nelson Colon.

Luka Doncic, Slovenia face Giannis, Greece in semis

On: By: admin


Luka Doncic and Slovenia advance to the knockout phase of the Fiba OQT in Piraeus, Greece. –FIBA PHOTO

Luka Doncic and Slovenia still have Olympic hopes. And so does the Philippines, much to its own surprise.

Doncic had 36 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and Slovenia beat New Zealand 104-78 on Thursday to clinch a semifinal spot in the Fiba OQT at Piraeus, Greece. Slovenia needed to win by at least 10 points to make the semifinals.

READ: Fiba OQT: Greece opens strong; Doncic, Slovenia still have chance

Slovenia’s opponent on Saturday is Greece, meaning it’ll be Luka Doncic and fellow NBA All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo leading their squads — with the winner advancing to Sunday’s final with a berth in the Paris Olympics at stake, and the loser eliminated.

Josh Nebo had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Slovenia. Shea Ili led New Zealand with 28 points.

Fiba OQT semifinal matchups

The matchups for Saturday’s semifinals are taking shape.

At Valencia, Spain — Finland vs. Spain; Bahamas vs. Lebanon.

At Piraeus, Greece — Slovenia vs. Greece; Croatia vs. Dominican Republic.

At Riga, Latvia — Brazil vs. Philippines; Cameroon vs. Latvia.

SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba OQT semifinals 2024

At San Juan, Puerto Rico — Lithuania vs. Italy or Puerto Rico; Italy or Puerto Rico vs. Mexico.

The finals at all four sites are Sunday, and those four winners go to the Paris Olympics.

Georgia 96, Philippines 94

Gilas Pilipinas Fiba OQT semifinals

Gilas Pilipinas headed to the Fiba OQT semifinals. –FIBA PHOTO

Gilas Pilipinas lost but advanced to Saturday’s semifinals of their tournament in Riga, Latvia, anyway. That created a bit of an issue; the team had flights home scheduled for Friday.

“I guess we’re going to have to move them back a little bit,” Philippines coach Tim Cone said. “That’s how surprised we are to be here and talking to you guys. It’s the first time I’ve felt good about losing.”

HIGHLIGHTS: Gilas Pilipinas vs Georgia Fiba OQT July 4

Georgia needed to win by at least 19 points to have any chance of advancing.

Sandro Mamukelashvili led Georgia with 26 points and Goga Bitadze finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Justin Brownlee led all scorers with 28 points for the Philippines, adding eight rebounds and eight assists as well.

Finland 89, Poland 88

Down by 12 early in the fourth, Finland finished the game on a 25-12 run to keep its Olympic hopes alive and reach the semifinals.

Mikael Jantunen scored 20 for Finland, which got 18 from Alexander Madsen; those two players combined to shoot 12 for 13 from the floor.

A.J. Slaughter had 21 points and Jeremy Sochan added 20 for Poland, which was eliminated.

Greece 93, Egypt 71

At Piraeus, Antetokounmpo got the day off and Greece rolled into the semifinals anyway.

Konstantinos Mitoglou and Georgios Papagiannis each had 16 points for Greece, which got 15 from Kostas Popanikolaou.

Ahmed Metwaly scored 22 for Egypt, which was eliminated.

Cameroon 77, Brazil 74

Cameroon celebrates a win over Brazil in the Fiba OQT in Riga, Brazil.

Cameroon celebrates a win over Brazil in the Fiba OQT in Riga, Brazil. –FIBA PHOTO

At Riga, Cameroon won and advanced, Brazil lost and won its group anyway, and Montenegro really lost without even playing.

Jeremiah Hill led Cameroon with 22 points. Cameroon needed to win to advance to Saturday’s semifinals in Latvia; had it lost, Montenegro would have reached the semifinals.

Leo Meindl topped Brazil with 19 points. All Brazil had to do to win the group was win the game or lose by no more than six points; had Brazil lost by 15 or more, it would have been eliminated and Montenegro would have advanced.

Lebanon 74, Angola 70

Omari Spellman scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and Lebanon moved into the semifinals of the qualifier at Valencia, Spain.

Karim Zeinoun added 15 for the winners, including a personal 7-0 run early in the fourth quarter when he turned a game that was tied at 49 into one in which Lebanon led 56-49 — and it wouldn’t trail again.

Gerson Goncalves scored 13 and Bruno Fernando added 12 for Angola, which was eliminated.

Mexico 92, Ivory Coast 81

At San Juan, Puerto Rico, Paul Stoll scored 23 points and added 11 assists, and Mexico erased a nine-point deficit in the second half to earn a semifinal spot.

Joshua Ibarra scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Mexico, which outscored Ivory Coast 24-12 in the fourth quarter to pull away.



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Nisre Zouzoua and Vafessa Fofana each scored 16 for Ivory Coast.

Greece opens strong; Doncic, Slovenia still have chance

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Giannis Antetokounmpo in Greece’s Fiba OQT game against Dominican Republic in Piraeus, Greece. –FIBA BASKETBALL PHOTO

Giannis Antetokounmpo looked like a player intent on leading Greece to its first Olympic berth since 2008.

Antetokounmpo had 32 points in 19 minutes, going 11 of 11 from the field, as Greece rolled to a 109-82 win over the Dominican Republic on Wednesday in Group B of the Piraeus, Greece Fiba OQT.

Thomas Walkup added 17 points for Greece, which led by as many as 27 and can advance to the semifinal round with a victory over Egypt on Thursday.

READ: Fiba OQT: Bahamas tops Finland in opener, Slovenia falls to Croatia

“Giannis loves to be here. He loves to represent his country,” Greece coach Vassilis Spanoulis said. “He’s very humble. He’s part of the team. For a superstar you don’t find this easy. … He’s about winning.”

The tournament in Greece is one of four that opened Tuesday to settle the final four spots in the field for the Paris Olympics. Other tournaments are ongoing in Latvia, Puerto Rico and Spain.

Group play at all four sites continues through Thursday, with semifinal games Saturday and the title games Sunday.

READ: Doncic, Antetokounmpo shoot for last shot at Paris Olympics in the Fiba OQT

An appearance in the Olympics is one of the few things Antetokounmpo has yet to accomplish in his career.

On Wednesday, he didn’t seem to be bothered at all by the strained left calf that caused him to sit out the Milwaukee Bucks’ playoff run in April. He got to the rim at will, went 9 of 13 from the free-throw line and knocked down his lone 3-point attempt.

New Zealand 90, Croatia 86

Croatia advanced in its bid to earn one of the final Olympic berths, but not with the kind of momentum it had hoped.

New Zealand beat Croatia 90-86 in Group A in Piraeus. Corey Webster had 21 points and Shea Ili added 18, including a go-ahead layup in the final minute to help New Zealand rally.

“I think it’s just a gutsy win from our team,” New Zealand captain Reuben Te Rangi said.

Ivica Zubac had 29 points and 16 rebounds, Dario Saric added 19 points and eight rebounds and Mario Hezonja had 16 points for Croatia, which was able to secure a place in the semifinals with the four-point differential. The loss, however, kept NBA star Luka Doncic and Slovenia in contention.

Slovenia can make it out of Group A and into the semifinals if it beats New Zealand by 21 points when the teams meet Thursday. If not, New Zealand will advance.

Croatia won its opener 108-92 over Slovenia on Tuesday.

“It was a tough spot playing after an emotional win over Slovenia,” Saric said of the loss Wednesday. “We were hoping we’d be on a level and push the game in our direction. But today wasn’t the case.”

Montenegro 70, Cameroon 66

In Riga, Latvia, Montenegro survived a sluggish start to keep its semifinal hopes alive with a 70-66 win over Cameroon.

Marko Simonovic had 18 points, six rebounds and went 9 of 9 from the free-throw line to lead five Montenegro players in double figures. Nikola Vucevic finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Cameroon needs to beat Brazil when the teams meet Thursday to advance to the semifinals out of Group B. Otherwise, the second spot would go to Montenegro.

Cameroon led 32-29 at the half. But Montenegro opened the third quarter with a 15-2 run to take a 44-34 lead and never trailed again. Montenegro connected on 7 of 9 free throws in the final period and 20 for 24 for the game.

Fabien Quentin Philibert Ateba and Jordan Bayehe each had 14 points apiece to lead Cameroon.

Bahamas 90, Poland 81

Valdez Edgecombe Jr. scored 21 points, Deandre Ayton added 18 points and nine rebounds, and the Bahamas advanced to the knockout round with its win over Poland in Valencia, Spain.

The Bahamas led by as many as 19 in the fourth quarter, knocking down 13 3-pointers and assisting on 24 of its 31 field goals for the game. Buddy Hield finished with 17 points and 10 assists to help his team finish 2-0 in Group B.

Poland and Finland play Thursday to decide which will join the Bahamas from the group in the semifinals.

Philippines 89, Latvia 80

Justin Brownlee Gilas Pilipinas stuns world No. 6 Latvia to open Fiba OQT bid schedule

Justin Brownlee soars for a slam in Gilas Pilipinas’ Fiba OQT win against Latvia. –FIBA BASKETBALL

Justin Brownlee had 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to help the Philippines hold off a late charge and beat Latvia 89-80 in Group A of the Latvia tournament.

Kai Sotto added 18 points and eight rebounds.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas stuns world No. 6 Latvia to open Fiba OQT bid

Latvia trailed by 26 points and cut what was a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit to 10 with 1:21 remaining. But the Philippines settled down and was able to close it out.

Rodions Kurucs led Latvia with 18 points.

The Philippines is in the driver’s seat to win the group and advance to the knockout stage when it plays Georgia on Thursday. Latvia beat Georgia 83-55 on Tuesday.

Spain 89, Angola 81

Santiago Aldama had 24 points and Spain beat Angola 89-81 to win Group A and advance to the semifinals of the Liga, Spain, tournament.

Willy Hernangomez added 22 points and 10 rebounds. The winner of Lebanon and Angola on Thursday will join Spain in the knockout round.

Spain carried a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter and Angola never got closer than six the rest of the way.

Jilson Bango led Angola with 15 points and nine rebounds.

Lithuania 97, Ivory Coast 93

Domantas Sabonis had 22 points to help Lithuania beat Ivory Coast 97-93 and advance to the knockout round of the San Juan, Puerto Rico tournament.

Marius Grigonis added 18 points and Lukas Lekavicius finished with 13, including 3 with under a minute to play to put his team ahead for good. Sabonis also had nine rebounds to help Lithuania finish 2-0 in Group A.

Deon Thompson had 18 points to lead Ivory Coast, which needs to beat Mexico Thursday to earn a semifinal berth.

Ivory Coast took a 72-65 lead into the fourth.

Lithuania twice got within a point before Lekavicius made a floater for a 92-90 lead. Ivory Coast nudged back in front with a minute to play on a 3 by Jean Philippe Dally.

Lekavicius answered with a 3 to make it 95-93 with 41 seconds left.

Puerto Rico 90, Bahrain 56

Stephen Thompson Jr. scored 20 points and Puerto Rico powered past Bahrain 99-56 on home soil to secure a spot in the semifinal round.

George Conditt IV added 17 points and eight rebounds for Puerto Rico, which will face Italy on Thursday to determine the winner of Group B. Italy also advanced to the knockout stage, having beaten Bahrain 114-53 on Tuesday.

Puerto Rico controlled the game throughout, building a 39-19 halftime lead that grew to more than 40 early in the fourth quarter.



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Zee Hamoda led Bahrain with 15 points.

Bahamas tops Finland in OQT opener, Slovenia falls to Croatia

On: By: admin


Bahamas’ guard #07 Buddy Hield drives the ball against Finland’s guard #34 Jacob Grandison during the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament basketball match between Finland and Bahamas in Valencia, on July 2, 2024. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP)

Buddy Hield and the Bahamas are a step closer to the Paris Olympics. Luka Doncic and Slovenia are now facing an uphill battle to get there.

Hield scored 24 points, Valdez Edgecombe Jr. added 20 and the Bahamas beat Finland 96-85 on Tuesday in the first game of the Olympic qualifying tournament at Valencia, Spain.

“We grinded it out. Grinded out a win today,” Hield said. “Staying together, figuring it out. Game of basketball is a game of runs. First half, we didn’t quite figure it out.”

SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba OQT in Riga, Latvia

The tournaments in Spain and Greece were two of four that started on Tuesday to determine the last four spots in the men’s basketball field for the Paris Olympics. Other tournaments are being held in Latvia and Puerto Rico, both of them also starting on Tuesday. Group play at all four sites continues through Thursday, with semifinal games Saturday and four games with Olympic berths on the line set for Sunday.

The Bahamas closed the game on a 44-21 run over the final 17 minutes, erasing what was a 12-point second-half deficit.

But for Slovenia, there was no comeback. At Piraeus, Greece, Croatia led by as many as 29 points and rolled to a 108-92 win. Doncic had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for Slovenia, while Croatia had a its own triple-double — 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists — from Dario Saric, along with 21 points from Goran Filipovic and 18 points in 19 minutes from Ivica Zubac.

Luka Doncic Slovenia vs Croatia Fiba OQT

Slovenia’s Luka Doncic reacts during the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament basketball match at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Athens on July 2, 2024. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP)

Croatia can qualify for the semifinals on Wednesday with a win over New Zealand. Slovenia must beat New Zealand on Thursday to have any chance of keeping its Olympic hopes alive.

“Croatia played great,” Doncic said. “They outplayed us. … I’ve got to play way better than this and we’ve got to play with way better energy.”

Doncic was dealing with injuries during the NBA Finals when Dallas lost to Boston, and he was clearly laboring at times on Tuesday as well. But he insisted he would keep going.

“It’s an honor for me to play for my country,” Doncic said. “A lot of times, there’s going to be injuries. But I just see a big honor for me to play for my country. We’re 2 million people and to represent my country, it means everything to me.”

READ: Doncic, Antetokounmpo shoot for last shot at Paris Olympics

Deandre Ayton scored 19 and Eric Gordon added 16 for the Bahamas, who can advance to the qualifier’s knockout round by beating Poland on Wednesday. It is an interesting mix for the Bahamas; three starters are NBA players, but the starting point guard is Lourawls Nairn — a former Michigan State player and now the associate head coach at Bowling Green.

“He’s a coaches’ dream and I think the players love playing with him,” Bahamas coach Chris DeMarco said. “He definitely belongs and he could be doing this for a living, but he pursued a different career.”

Mikael Jantunen and Edon Maxhuni each scored 20 for Finland, which faces Poland on Thursday.

Spain 104, Lebanon 59
At Valencia, host Spain rolled behind 17 points from Santi Aldama, 15 from Usman Garuba and 14 from Jaime Pradilla. Spain can wrap up a spot in the semifinals with a win over Angola on Wednesday.

Youssef Khayat scored 20 for Lebanon, which faces Angola on Thursday.

Brazil 81, Montenegro 72

At Riga, Latvia, Brazil trailed for most of the game but outscored Montenegro 29-16 in the fourth quarter to pull off the comeback.

Bruno Caboclo had 25 points and nine rebounds for Brazil, while Marcelinho Huertas added 17 points.

Nikola Vucevic led Montenegro with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Montenegro must beat Cameroon on Wednesday to keep hopes of reaching the semifinals alive. Brazil faces Cameroon on Thursday.

Latvia 83, Georgia 55

At Riga, host Latvia outscored Georgia 28-11 in the second quarter to take complete control and rolled to the opening win.

Arturs Strautins scored 18 points on 5-for-5 shooting to lead a balanced Latvian scoring attack, while Mareks Mejeris scored 11 (also shooting 5-for-5) and Rolands Smits finished with 10.

Sandro Mamukelashvili led Georgia with 14 points.

Latvia can clinch a semifinal spot by beating the Philippines on Wednesday. Georgia and the Philippines play on Thursday to close the group round.

Dominican Republic 90, Egypt 77

At Piraeus, Jean Montero scored 17 points, and the Dominican Republic used a 14-0 run spanning the end of the second quarter and start of the third quarter to pull away.

Chris Duarte scored 14 points, Victor Liz had 12 and Angel Nunez finished with 11 for the Dominican Republic.

Ahmed Metwaly led Egypt with 24 points.

The Dominican Republic can clinch a semifinal spot if it beats Greece on Wednesday. Egypt plays Greece on Thursday and must win to have any hope of advancing to the semifinals.

Italy 114, Bahrain 53

At San Juan, Puerto Rico, Danilo Gallinari and Nicolo Melli each scored 14 points and Italy finished with seven players in double figures.

Ahmed Haji scored 12 points to lead Bahrain, which gave up the game’s final 19 points.

Bahrain must beat Puerto Rico on Wednesday to have any shot at the semifinals. Italy plays Puerto Rico on Thursday.

Lithuania 96, Mexico 84

At San Juan, Lithuania opened the second half on a 27-7 run that carried it to an opening win.

Marius Grigonis led the way with 21 points for Lithuania, while Tadas Sedekerskis added 12. Domantas Sabonis finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Joshua Ibarra scored 18 for Mexico.



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Lithuania would reach Saturday’s semifinals with a win over Ivory Coast on Wednesday. Mexico plays Ivory Coast on Thursday, likely to decide another semifinal berth.

Portugal beats Slovenia at Euro 2024 despite Ronaldo penalty miss

On: By: admin


Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after scoring in penalties shootouts during a round of sixteen match between Portugal and Slovenia at the Euro 2024 football tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

FRANKFURT, Germany — No one does high drama in international football to such an operatic extent as Cristiano Ronaldo.

Portugal is heading to a blockbuster quarterfinal with France at the European Championship after its star captain generated compelling viewing on center stage of the victory over Slovenia on Monday.

Winning a penalty shootout 3-0 after a 0-0 game against the 57th-ranked team in world football might not sound much.

But there were tears, lots of them, from Ronaldo; an apology in prayer-form to his fans, who responded with adulation; extravagant arm gestures of anger, frustration and exasperation; chances wasted and denied to make more tournament history; a renewed duel with an old rival goalkeeper; and ultimately redemption and victory.

READ: Spain rallies to thrash Georgia, reach Euro 2024 quarterfinal

Ronaldo’s mother was in the stadium and TV pictures showed her crying, too, after he missed his penalty.

“Sometimes it’s hard and difficult to score penalties,” Ronaldo told Portuguese broadcaster RTP after the match, getting emotional again. “I’ve scored more than 200 penalties in my career. Sometimes it’s a mess.”

Still, the last act of Monday’s show gave Portugal what it needed.

“We showed the enthusiasm that we still have to play, to have fun, to give joy to the fans and that’s it, this is our life,” he said after it was all over, close to midnight in Frankfurt.

The 39-year-old Ronaldo went into the game without a goal at Euro 2024.

READ: Ronaldo still Portugal’s main man despite slow start to Euro 2024

The moment when he surely had to become the oldest player ever to score at a Euros finals tournament came in the first period of extra time, the 105th minute, after missing five or six of the kind of chances he has thrived on now for 20 years at this level.

Portugal had been awarded a penalty kick and Ronaldo stepped up to take what could have been the decisive goal.

Instead, Slovenia goalkeeper Jan Oblak, a long-time adversary from their time playing Spanish league football in Madrid, dived left to push aside the well-struck shot against a post and away to safety.

Portugal vs Slovenia Euro 2024

Portugal’s players celebrate after winning the penalties shootouts of a round of sixteen match between Portugal and Slovenia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Tears welled in Ronaldo’s eyes and soon flowed during the break before the second period of extra time began. Teammates consoled him, kissed his forehead and urged him to keep going.

Extra time also finished 0-0 and when the penalty shootout started, Slovenia’s first kick was saved by Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

Up stepped Ronaldo, facing a massed stand of about 10,000 Portugal fans. He placed it perfectly low beyond Oblak diving to his right.

Ronaldo looked apologetically to the fans and put his hands together as if in prayer. The fans responded with a bellowing and forgiving shout of “Siuuuu” — their football icon’s trademark goal scream.

“I was certain that he had to be the first penalty taker and show us the way to victory,” Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said. “Life gives you difficult moments and the way he reacted makes us very proud.”

Costa answered the rest of those fans’ prayers with as good a penalty shootout as any goalkeeper could have.

He saved all three of Slovenia’s kicks from Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec and Benjamin Verbič. Then he was in tears, too.

Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva also scored for Portugal to seal the shootout 3-0 with two kicks to spare.

“I was sad and now I’m overjoyed. This is what football gives you,” Ronaldo said in translated comments in a post-game interview. “You cannot explain it.”

Portugal will face France in the quarterfinals on Friday in Hamburg, a rematch of the 2016 final that Portugal won in Paris after Ronaldo went off injured early.

“We all know that Cris is the hardest worker. I understand how frustrated he is,” Costa said. “For me, it’s an honor to play on the same team.”

The personal duel between Ronaldo and Oblak had been memorable merely in regulation time.

It was an intensely frustrating first 90 minutes for Ronaldo with three free kicks, two mistimed jumps for headers and a golden chance to score with his first clear shot in open play.

That was in the 89th, when he ran clear on goal with the ball passed perfectly into his stride. The left-foot shot was low and powerful but Oblak’s block was better.

The best of Ronaldo’s free kicks was a powerful line drive right at Oblak in the 55th that the tall goalkeeper squatted to push away with strong hands.

The intense drama for the Portugal superstar almost overwhelmed the troubled evening for Slovenia’s emerging star.

Benjamin Šeško had chances to win the game, in the 62nd and 115th minutes, going one-on-one with Costa after racing past 41-year-old defender Pepe.

The first was a weak shot that screwed wide, and the second was powerful and accurate but saved by the goalkeeper’s outstretched boot.

So it went penalties. Just as it had in the Euro 2012 semifinals, when Spain beat Portugal before Ronaldo — as the fifth scheduled taker — even had the chance to step up.

Just as it had when Ronaldo’s Real Madrid and Oblak’s Atletico Madrid met in the 2016 Champions League final. Back then, Ronaldo placed the fifth and decisive spot-kick past Oblak to win the title.

Portugal is still competing to win back the European title it also won in 2016, at the expense of an admirable Slovenia squad that was effectively unbeaten after drawing all four of its games at Euro 2024.



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“His emotions show respect for Slovenia,” coach Matjaž Kek said of Ronaldo, “and that is what I am content with.”