Giannis Antetokounmpo spurs Greece to victory over Croatia at EuroBasket 2022

Giannis Antetokounmpo spurred Greece to begin their campaign at FIBA EuroBasket 2022 with an 89-85 victory over Croatia on Friday.

It was a game of two halves, with a dramatic conclusion. An early 17-2 run propelled Greece as much as 40-21 ahead in the second period. Then a rally from Croatia, who was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field in a 15-0 run in the third, as their rivals were pressurized into six consecutive misses.

Krunoslav Simon’s jumper cut the gap to 62-60 before the Croats’ momentum briefly stalled in the fourth. Turning to Antetokounmpo, who contributed 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Tyler Dorsey, who scored 27, the title contenders raised the pace to race 75-64 in front.

Turning Point:  In a tense finale, Greece held its nerve with Antetokounmpo scoring five critical points and pulling out two blocks in the closing 57 seconds after Croatia had closed to 84-82 on a Simon floater with 92 seconds left. The Greek triumph was sealed when Antetokounmpo – in a last-minute tour de force, blocked Jaleen Smith before conversing a three-point play at the other end. 

TCL Player of the Game: After trailing 10-5, Greece embarked on a 35-11 run that lasted just shy of ten minutes. During that spell, Giannis Antetokounmpo either scored or assisted on all but two of his team’s made field goals. Despite Croatia’s rally, his influence was omnipresent.

Stats Don’t Lie: Or perhaps they do. Croatia shot 61 percent from the field compared to Greece’s 45 and was more accurate on free throws and three-pointers. Except Greece took 14 more field goals attempts and got to the foul line 12 more times. Simple efficiency does not always prevail.

Bottom Line: Greece will take a lot from their first half, Croatia from their second despite leaving themselves with too much to overcome. But there were positives for both teams going forward.