Giannis Antetokounmpo spearheads Greece’s triumph over Dominican Republic

·

The Dominican Republic tried their best to spoil the party for 11,648 fans in the stands, but Greece were on another level to start their FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament campaign.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, in his first official game with the national team since FIBA EuroBasket 2022, led the hosts to a 109-82 win, meaning Greece are a step away from securing top spot in Group B. All they need now is a win over Egypt on Thursday.

Greece took full control of the game right from the start, storming to a double-digit lead in the first quarter, and never looked back.

Dominican Republic’s coach Che Garcia wanted a stubborn approach from his team despite the deficit, and he got it, as their three-point shooting allowed the team to reduce the gap to 10 points, but they never got close enough to get into single digits and test Greece’s patience.

Once Greece started knocking down their three-pointers, in the second half, it was only a matter of waiting for the final margin.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had not played an official basketball game for nearly three months. There was no visible rust, his dunk opened up the scoring and every single thing he did on the court in just 18 minutes of work looked like he was at 100 percent. The Greek superstar finished with 32 points on 11-of-11 shooting from the field, getting an efficiency rating of 34.

Greece shot 16-of-30 from three-point range, as nine different players knocked down at least one three-pointer.

Greece’s coach Vassilis Spanoulis gave the green light to all of his players to shoot, including the center Georgios Papagiannis popping behind the three-point line and knocking down a pair of threes. This free-shooting Greece was a joy to watch for the home crowd in Piraeus.

Source: FIBA.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Greek Association of Drummoyne–Five Dock distributes $107,000 in final act of generosity

The “Omonoia” Greek Association of Drummoyne and Five Dock has formally ceased operations, but not before making one final act of generosity.

Cypriot community unites in South Australia to remember and resist, 51 years on

SEKA SA held a solemn wreath-laying ceremony on Sunday, July 20 to mark the 51st anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

Saint Nektarios Fawkner marks 50th anniversary with tribute and vision for the future

The Church of Saint Nektarios in Fawkner celebrated its 50th anniversary with emotion and grandeur on Sunday, July 14.

Cypriot Australians in QLD and the NT commemorate 51st anniversary of invasion

Cypriot communities of Queensland and the Northern Territory commemorated the 51st anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus on Sunday.

George Petrou’s ‘The Art of Humanity’ launches at the Australian War Memorial

The Art of Humanity, a book by Cypriot-born Australian artist George Petrou, officially launched last week at the Australian War Memorial.

You May Also Like

Peloponnese villages ordered to evacuate as fires burn on the outskirts of Patras

Villages in the northeastern Peloponnese have been evacuated following the fire that broke out in the area early on Wednesday.

Stefanos Tsitsipas loses Mexican Open final to Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev has been crowned the champion of the Mexican Open following his 6-4, 7-6 win against first-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Joe Biden confirms strong bilateral relations with Cyprus

With a letter sent to President Nicos Anastasiades Joe biden confirms Cyprus is an important partner in the East Med.