Interesting poster on paper at the end of the afternoon in Milan, between the two leaders of Group C, Ukraine and Greece, undefeated and already qualified for the next round. A “limited” stake therefore, but two formations which will nevertheless give their all to maintain their invincibility and their place on the throne of the group.
The start of the match was marked by the return to business of Giannis Antetokounmpo, laid off during Greece’s previous outing against Great Britain. The “Greek Freak” has ants in his legs and starts off with 9 quick points, 4/5 on shots and 4 rebounds. In his wake, the men of Dimitris Itoudis collectively demonstrated accuracy in their choices, notably scoring eight of their first ten shots.
Ukraine in the loop…
But Ukraine is not undefeated so far by chance! Although jostled at the start, the teammates of a still inspired Svi Mykhailiuk (8 points in the first quarter) show character and play a simple but realistic game. Better than that, in the second quarter, Ukrainian basketball players play completely eye to eye with their opponents.
So much so that the Greeks lose their momentum as the minutes of the second quarter go by, despite the still high level of play of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Greek selection is annoyed, like this technical fault by Dimitris Itoudis, who contests the refereeing decisions a lot when his team’s game seizes up. A very big pass off the bench from the dynamic leader Issuf Sanon even allowed the Ukrainians to take control of the score before halftime (46-39).
…until Giannis decides otherwise
Without it being really a surprise, and without Ukraine really being able to do anything about it, the balance of power is completely reversed in the second half. Because Giannis Antetokounmpo continues his demolition business in Ukrainian painting and puts his team in the lead in five short minutes. After 21 minutes on the floor, the Bucks superstar has 31 points!
The Greek collective largely outclasses Ukraine in the third quarter, with a score of 32-11 and a gap which reaches 14 points (71-57). The final act is a ten-minute “garbage time”, as the gap continues to climb, even if the Ukrainian players continue to play until the end with an honorable concentration.
In the end, a 20-point victory for Greece (99-79), secured thanks to a stunning third quarter, and a maddeningly easy Giannis Antetokounmpo (41 points, 9 rebounds in 27 minutes), who signed the best performance scoring in a EuroBasket since Dirk Nowitzki’s 43 points in 2001.
Now undefeated after four games, the “Greek Freak” and his colleagues secure the top spot in Group C, and are gaining momentum as the next round approaches.
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Photo credit: FIBA
