Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 out of his game-high 27 points in the second half and Greece NT surged past the Czech Republic 94-88 to advance to the quarterfinals of the EuroBasket 2022.
Ioannis Papapetrou fired up Greece for a 6-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter and the Greeks went up 69-67 after trailing for most of the first half. Before that, the Czechs took a 41-45 lead in the half-time and 63-67 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
Tomas Satoransky was the ultimate playmaker for his team as he finished with 17 assists with most of his creativity finding Jan Vesely (21 pts.) and Voijtech Hruban (17 pts.). Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kostas Sloukas, and Giannoulis Larentzakis extended Greece’s spurt to 15-3 in the fourth.
Giannis revving up the engines 🔋#EuroBasket x #BringTheNoise pic.twitter.com/3IHO54WqYp
— #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) September 11, 2022
They gave an 8-point advantage (78-70) with 5 minutes to play. Giannis Antetokounmpo made his first three-pointer after six misses, Giannoulis Larentzakis added a two-pointer, and Greece was leading in double-digits entering the last three minutes.
Jan Vesely converted an “and-1” play, cut the deficit to 5 points once more (83-88), but Bohacek missed a crucial shot. Meanwhile, Giannis closed the game with a three-pointer on the other end (91-83) with 30 seconds to go.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 10 rebounds, 5 assists and an EFF of 30 alongside his 27-point barrage. He also had some crucial defensive plays in the fourth quarter as Greece NT avoided the defeat vs the Czech Republic after losing last summer in the pre-Olympic tournament.
Game. Set. Giannis. 🇬🇷#EuroBasket x #BringTheNoise pic.twitter.com/ZTryxEsm4w
— #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) September 11, 2022
