Isaac Bonga wanted to give Finland star Lauri Markkanen nightmares in their first matchup—and he certainly succeeded. Ahead of their second encounter, the NBA star has now responded to the statement.
“I was looking forward to the game, but especially to the matchup. I take things like that personally,” Bonga told MagentaSport after the preliminary round game against Finland about his duel with star player Lauri Markkanen. The forward had held him to just 11 points – by far his lowest tally of the tournament so far. “I go in there and say, ‘When he goes home, I hope he has nightmares about me.’”
Germany ultimately won the game in Tampere, Finland, by a very clear margin of 91-61. Just under a week later, the rematch is coming up – but in the semifinals. During the final training session beforehand, Markkanen himself spoke up and responded to Bonga’s statements. “The guy is crazy”: How Bonga made NBA All-Star Markkanen’s life hell “They can say what they want,” he told the international press. “All I care about are the guys in our locker room.” Quotes like these don’t give him any extra motivation either, as he doesn’t need it “in this kind of game.”
The game to decide who advances to the EuroBasket final will take place tomorrow at 4 p.m. in Riga, Latvia. MagentaSport and RTL will broadcast the game live.
