The evening games at EuroBasket provided pure drama: Greece prevailed in the classic match against defending champions Spain and is now the group winner. Poland narrowly lost to Belgium but remains second in the group and advances to the round of 16, while Belgium is eliminated in fifth place.
Spain missed out on a spot in the quarterfinals in its match against Greece and must return home after an 86-90 defeat. Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated the game with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists. Tyler Dorsey (22 points) and Kostas Sloukas (12 points, 6 assists) also played strongly and laid the foundation for the victory.
The Iberians trailed by double digits for a long time, but then came back strong after the break. With a 28:18 run in the third quarter, Spain fought its way back into the game and made it exciting. In the final phase, there was even a chance for a comeback: with ten seconds left on the clock and trailing by four points, Juancho Hernangómez was awarded three free throws after a foul on a three-pointer. But the forward missed all three attempts from the line – the last chance to turn the game around.
Greece impressed as a team with a strong shooting percentage from beyond the three-point line (48 percent) and more punch under the baskets. This means that the Greeks advance to the quarterfinals, while Spain, after winning the title in 2022, fails to make it past the round of 16.
Belgium wins thriller – Poland finishes second in group despite defeat
Belgium bowed out of EuroBasket with a 70-69 win over Poland. Emmanuel Lecomte led his team with 19 points, supported by Hans Vanwijn (10 points, 7 rebounds) and Andy Van Vliet (9 points). Strong shooting from the three-point line (41 percent) kept the Belgians in the game until the end and secured the narrow victory.
Poland missed out on confirming second place in Group D with another win, but remains in second place despite the defeat. Mateusz Ponitka impressed with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Dominik Olejniczak added 12 points and eight rebounds. Poland’s top scorer Jordan Loyd had a weak evening with seven points (3/11 FG). Above all, Poland’s poor three-point shooting (4/25) cost them the chance of victory – but that did not change their progress in the tournament.
